PMD: The Shroud of Darkness
by JacobDaGun
Summary: The world as we know it is about to change. 4 heroes will arrive to save the day...but none of them can remember anything. The epic quest to end darkness is about to enfold... (If this gets 1,000 views, I'll write an extra-long chapter!) (Official compendium is HERE! Go check it out on my page!)
1. Chapter 01 - Not in the Right Place

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The Shroud of Darkness**

_Chapter 01 - Not in the right place_

I tell you, the entire day can be summed up by how you wake up. I didn't wake up on the wrong side of the bed, if that's what you're asking, I woke up on…well, to be honest, I didn't even wake up _on_ a bed.

Before waking up, however, I remember thinking to myself "Okay, so it's Saturday. I gotta do the lawns today or else Mom'll throw a fit, right self?" My self obviously answered yes. However, I didn't necessarily want to wake up, the river washing past me felt kind of good and relaxing…

…river?

My eyes flew open immediately upon revelation that I was no longer in a bed. Well, I was in a river bed, but that's not the point, the point is was that I had no clue where I was or how I'd gotten there. Eventually, I heard a voice yelling out to me.

"..eeyy! Hey, you okay there?"

My head turned of its own accord to the source of the sound, i.e. the speaker. The next thing I saw took a second for my slow brain to register. See, I had seen a Treecko just sitting there, and I was looking for the person who had just spoken to me. The Treecko bit, I could just ignore for the time being. More important things had to be considered, like this big grove of trees I had washed up in.

"Hello? Are you okay there?"

This was about the time my brain kicked in, and a million things just went through my head. "Ah, so that's who was talking." "Wait, Treecko don't actually exist, soo…" "Wait, even if Treecko _did_ exist, they don't talk." "Where the heck did I end up?" My first reaction was to panic slightly. I seem to recall the conversation going somewhat like this:

"Aah!"

"Wait, woah, what's going on, you okay?"

"….erhm….eh…..uh…."

"Well, at least you're not a mute, eh? Hehehe…"

"…Where am I?"

You see, by this point I had come to kind of accept this. In fact, I'd had a few instances where my idle mind conjured up fantasies like this, but I never really expected it to happen. Man, real-live Pokémon was a cool prospect. I wasn't thinking much past this however, and failed to recognize a few other factors that could have influence on my reaction.

"Uh…you're outside Trebel Town. Are you okay? You seem lost."

Well he could talk a bit, couldn't he?

"Trebel Town?"

By this point I had stood up next to a respectably sized oak.

"Uh…yeah." It was his turn to be confused. "Right, anyway, what's your name?"

"My name? Oh, right, it's…"

*PANG* It hit me.

"It's…uh…"

I started getting tunnel vision.

"…what…wha..why…"

I had to lean against the oak for support as I began to get dizzy. Understanding and a bit of fear began to dawn in me as reality hit me hard enough someone might as well have hit me with the bone I was holding in my hand, the hand that was no longer its proper color. I realized 2 _veeeery_ important facts:

I was a Cubone. A Cubone with amnesia.

The Treecko began to look worried. "Excuse me, but do you need help? I can get my friend Ian to come over and help get you to the hospital or something."

"…I…I can't remember…"

"Can't remember what?"

"…Anything."

I slumped down to the ground, my dizzy spell only getting worse.

"You can't remember anything?"

"No…I…"

And then my dizzy spell grew too great, and I blacked out.

* * *

Not bad, eh? This story has been floating around in my head for a while now, and I just HAD to get it out on paper, or the digital equivalent thereof.

Basically, this chapter sets up the premise for the story, an amnesiac teen-turned-Cubone in a high-wire quest to save the world from darkness.

Now I had thoughts as to where to put this story as far as Communities stand, but I figured that since the story takes more influence from the Mystery Dungeon games, I should probably make it a Mystery Dungeon Fan Fiction.

Also, I won't force people to review, but I'd highly appreciate it.

Anyway, I could prattle on for days, but I'll leave it here.

Hope you guys like my story, and I'll see you later.

-JacobDaGun


	2. Chapter 02 - Mental Masquerades

Alright, since I got enough egging on from myself, I decided to buckle down and write the second chapter. Just a note though, I have this planned out to about chapter 50, or so I estimate. Anyway, I won't prattle on up here, I'll put all Author Notes at the bottom of each chapter, as well as a reviewer's corner.

Hope you enjoy the next chapter!

* * *

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The Shroud of Darkness**

_Chapter 02 – Mental Masquerades_

Well, after I blacked out, apparently my new Treecko friend picked me up (with some difficulty) and started dragging me back to Trebel Town. His friend, Ian, found him while he was doing this, and lent a helping hand, er wing. When I came to…I was not in a place I knew. It was all foggy, and the ground wasn't covered in grass, but something that reminded me of marble or clouds. I was also standing on a cobblestone path, and there were boulders scattered everywhere.

"Where the heck am I?" I asked no one in particular.

I wandered around for a bit before I brushed against one of the boulders. Suddenly, a memory of me at the riverbank washed over my senses. At that, I began to wonder if I was inside my own mind. After wandering a bit further, I came to a cave. Curious as to what was inside, I dipped my head into the mouth of the cave. Inside were…some weird pink tubes of some kind. They were bunched together in single-file, in small batches of 7 or 8. As any self-respecting male would, I proceeded to go up to one and did the most logical thing anyone would do: I touched it.

And man, that crap hurt!

Well, it didn't really hurt, it felt more like it shocked me, but it didn't. After all, you often get shocked where you touch something, but it had felt like I had gotten shocked in my foot.

Perturbed, I investigated further, touching other ones. Each one "shocked" a different part of my body. I figured if this was my mind, then this is where I controlled my body. I also noticed a few were clustered together funny. I bit my lip, or would've had it been anatomically possible to do so, and combed through the shockers (as I had dubbed them) with my bone. They un-clustered, and oh BOY you have no clue how good that felt. Sadly, that feeling lasted a brief second before dissipating. I continued to untangle the remaining shockers before exploring more of the cave.

Eventually, I came to a door. Why there was a door in my cave-mind I had no clue, but I opened it up.

FWOOSH!

Fire started billowing out the opening in the door. I backpedaled furiously to get away from the inferno. I did NOT want to get near that, so I just left it open. Eventually, I found myself waking up. I was greeted by the sight of walls.

"Hello?" I called out cautiously.

Either that Audino was standing right next to my door, or he broke the world record for fastest sprint, because not 2 seconds later, he popped his head into my room.

"Oh, thank the stars, you're awake!" he proclaimed.

I feel I should mention at this time that he was my doctor. Yep, my Treecko buddy brought me to the local hospital. (Or infirmary, if you will)

"Uhm…yes, I am. Why am I here?"

"Why, your friend brought you here after you blacked out. Now, I don't recommend moving, you've got a good case of paralysis going. That's what you get for swimming in a creek, I guess, just don't do it again!"

"Swimming in a cre…what are you talking about?"

That's about when the Treecko popped his head in.

"Oh, hey, he's up!"

"Yes, he is," the doctor said in a slightly exasperated voice, "now I need to check on how his paralysis is coming along."

I tried moving my arm experimentally to see if I really did have paralysis. It moved, disproving this. The doctor, however, had a bit of a fit when he saw me move my arm perfectly.

"What?"

Let's just say the next few minutes were filled of him fussing over me and exclaiming how good of a recovery system I had…yeah. I eventually popped the question on the doctor though.

"So why was I paralyzed?" I asked.

Had he been drinking anything then, he probably would've done a spit take.

"What? You mean you don't know?"

My new friend then explained to him that I had amnesia and couldn't remember anything. The doctor then explained that Ground-Types are especially susceptible to water, as it weakens them, and that prolonged exposure to flowing water can cause paralysis.

It took a second, but eventually I was released from the hospital. Me and my newfound friend began walking.

"So if you don't remember anything, I suppose that means that you don't really have a place to stay, do you?" he stated simply.

"Well…yeah, I guess I don't really."

"Hmm, well I could talk to my friend and see if you can stay there for a while."

"Ian, you mean?"

"Yeah, Ia-wait, how'd you know his name?"

"You said it earlier."

"Oh…right. Anyway, did you remember your name?"

I thought hard, and eventually a name floated into memory.

"…Jacob, I think."

"Jacob…has an interesting ring to it."

"Eh…whatever. So what's yours?"

"Me? I'm Mido."

"Hmm, that has an interesting ring to it, too."

"Oh, shut up."

Eventually we found Ian, who I quickly learned was an Archen; the colorful feathers did give it away.

"IanIanIan!" shouted Mido.

"Oh, what's up little dude?" he replied back.

"Okay, so this is Jacob, the guy we saved yesterday."

I gave a courteous greeting at this point.

"Okay, what about him?" asked Ian.

"Well, he has amnesia, and I feel like we should still help him, and…"

I could tell he was having a bit of trouble saying it, so I helped.

"I think he's saying that I can't remember anything, so I need a place to bunk for a bit. Right?"

Mido gave a small nod.

Ian replied back "Well, I don't mind. In fact, if he wanted to help us help other Pokémon, that would be even better."

_Well he certainly doesn't wait to jump the gun, now does he?_ I thought to myself.

"Ian, you know you don't just as-" Mido began.

"Sure, why not? I don't see any reason not to." I said.

Mido gave me a look that was a cross between confusion and relief. "Oh, y-you will?"

"Sure. After all, I can't remember anything, so gotta start somewhere, right?"

Mido kept giving me that look.

"Oh, sweet! I like that attitude! Welcome to the team!"

That was probably the best day of my life.

* * *

Alright, 2nd chapter done! I do realize that I'm using my own name here, but I don't really care. Besides, Jacob is an abnormally common name where I come from; my high school alone has about 14 Jacobs in it. Thanks so much for reading and/or reviewing if you did. In fact, let's get to the reviews now!

TheMezzerino: _Really nice start. I shall assume this is based (somewhat) on Darkness, but I'm probably wrong, seeing as the cover is a Lugia :P__  
__Followed c:_

Thank you. I don't really know what Darkness is, but that part **will** come into play here in a second. The Lugia will also make sense in a while as well. And thanks for both reviewing and following. This was my first story, so I didn't really know what to expect. Again, thank you.

StrawberryFurret: _Veeeery Interesting! I'd like to see where this gooooooes!_

Aha, you just have discovered where this goes! Well, somewhat. Anywho, thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it.

Anywho, I'll try to leave all my Author Notes and Reviewer's Corners at the end so you can jump right into the story. Oh, and I might throw Bonus Chapters in here and there, so if anyone wants to submit characters for those, I'd be happy to add them in.

That's all, and I might make another chapter today. Who knows? :)

Thanks, and goodbye.

-JacobDaGun


	3. Chapter 03 - A Call to Action

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The Shroud of Darkness**

_Chapter 03 - A Call to Action_

I was not expecting that, I'll be honest, but I kind of liked the idea of helping other people. Why the heck not? It seemed a bit weird initially, however I didn't really mind. I had no purpose to fill and this gave me an opportunity to fill it. I was also slowly figuring out these 2 characters. Mido seemed a tad awkward, but likeable nonetheless. Ian seemed a bit more cool and collected, if I'm allowed to say that. Ian was also the guy in charge, as far as I could tell. Anyway, those two needed to run errands for food and other essentials; apparently they were expecting some kind of mission soon.

Before I go on, I suppose I should explain this team thing. First, we begin at the Guild level, where they get requests for help and dispatch their registered teams to go help them. The more experienced teams usually get really tough jobs, but that sometimes is delegated to other less-experienced teams simply because they're closer. There are 2 guilds in our area, aptly named East and West. We were part of the Western Guild, and our team was-**is,**_ is,_ called Terra. Oh yeah, that's another thing, the Guilds also have their teams come up with some name so they can identify them easily. Other than that, though, the Guild setup is fairly open. They don't really govern much; they just help Pokémon in danger.

Oh, and the teams also get up early in the morning. That too.

Unfortunately, I have a tough time getting up in the morning. Other than that though, I'm very much a morning person.

So, a sequence worthy of a music-accompanied time-lapse later, I'm up, getting ready for…training?

You see, I'd never been a Cubone before. I had some basics down, like 'swing this to hurt that' and stuff. But, I was bad at it. Though, during the training, I began to remember some Judo I'd learned years ago, but I was still pretty bad. The day had us ending somewhat exhausted and a bit battered. I'd go over the training, but it was basically finding out what I knew and learning to use my moves. Yes, that was the entire day. Oh, and we did do some fights to see how we were doing. That's when I found out that Mido was somewhat the fighter of the group. They were planning on replacing that title and giving it to me, though, which is why they were giving me training. Looking back on it, that day was like a leisurely day compared to some of the training I've gotten more recently, but then it was fairly intense.

A few more days of this occurred, when one day a Pelipper came and delivered a message to our mailbox. Me, being the illiterate I was (I'd never learned to read their language, mind you.) had no idea what it said and passed it to Mido. Apparently, it was a mission for us. I'll read you the message.

_Dear Team Terra,_

_We have recently received a message concerning a Pokémon in danger. You are to go to __ Emerald Forest __and assist a __ Riolu __ in _I need to get out of here. _ _. Please hurry as fast as possible, we're counting on you!_

The message was obviously done in ad-lib form for efficiency, but it just looks terrible now that I can actually read it. Nonetheless, a mission is a mission, so we began packing some supplies in small packs. You know, food, water, ect. The usual stuff. We also brought a map, so we don't get lost. We got to the gates of town, and followed the path to a crossroads. The area around the path, meadow, plains, maybe some trees here and there, nothing too exciting. At the crossroads we…eh I really don't like recounting travel experiences, but I'll have to go over it anyway. So we went North and after a while we went off the path. Eventually, a forest appeared. We started entering the forest, when a hand shot out of nowhere and caught me in the chest.

"Go away!"

I blinked in response. Eventually, a Mankey came into view, and repeated his message.

"Go away!"

Ian replied, "Hey, no offense needed, man, just need to go in and help someone."

But, the Mankey would have none of it. "Go away, can't come in unless you're a member. Go away!"

Turns out, a gang had taken over the forest as their hideout of sorts. Mido, however, was somewhat familiar with the area and led us to a small hole in the ground.

"If they haven't sealed this off somehow," Mido began, "We should be able to use this to get inside."

For some reason, a memory of someone named Alice came to mind.

* * *

And there you have it, Chapter 3 is done! I got bored, so I decided to write the 3rd chapter. Just a note though, don't expect updates as regularly as I've been doing it. I'm pushing out a lot of chapters right now because I have somewhat of a gust in my wings, if you will.

Also, if you couldn't tell, this is written in first person from the character Jacob. When he's telling the story, all the events have already transpired, so that's why there was a future reference in there. Sorry if this spoils anything, but that's how he's telling the story.

Haven't gotten any reviews, since I just barely pushed out the other chapter an hour or 2 prior, so no reviewer's corners today.

Also, someone message me on how to add a story to a community, I'd really like to get this onto a community so I get more people reading my story to make my secret cult…wait, what?

:P

Anywho, as always, have a lovely day.

- JacobDaGun


	4. Chapter 04 - Gang Banging

I'm well aware that this makes the 3rd chapter I've posted today, but I don't care. The more chapters I have written, the better! Also gives new readers a bit to read while I'm getting more ready. Don't expect updates like this again, you may or may not get them!

* * *

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The Shroud of Darkness**

_Chapter 04 – Gang Banging_

Tell you the truth, the hole wasn't that bad. It was actually somewhat large, as I could stand up straight in it. Mido mentioned the hole was dug by some Doug guy he knew (who I later discovered was a Drilbur, so that made sense.) who had moved away some time ago to live here. He had told Mido where he lived, and so he had been here a few times. Where Doug was, though, was a mystery. He clearly wasn't there. After travelling through the tunnel a ways, we reached the surface. There were toughs everywhere, Makuhita, Machop, Mankey, a lot of M's…yep. There was a Hariyama overseeing everything, just casting baleful eyes on the entire gathering, arms crossed across his chest, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I think he had a tattoo on his arm. (here the speaker quiets as if leaning away from the microphone and speaks "He did have one, didn't he?". A muffled "Yeah" is heard.) Yeah, he did have one. Anyway, behind him was a cage of some sort. Inside, a blue figure could be seen.

"I think we found our guy," stated Ian.

After a bit of deliberation, we decided (against my will) to send me in, since I was the only one of the party who knew Dig. They wanted me to try to get under the cage, break a hole inside, and then get our client the heck outta there. It was a solid plan, only spoiled by my ineptitude. I came up at the wrong spot, in a cluster of Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee. Let's just say my running skills were put to the test right then. It was a heck of a chase, worthy of some music accompaniment, but sadly, none was available. I managed to lose them by latching onto the side of a very tall tree. I Dug again once I got back to the forest floor, and managed to Dig the wrong way. I ran back into my original tunnel, and followed it back to everyone else, with (to my surprise) Riolu in tow.

Apparently, my mishap wasn't as much of a mishap as I'd originally thought, as it gave enough distraction to allow him to get out of the cage while Maurice (the head tough) had his back turned. His name was Alec. After this revelation, and a healthy dose of criticism from Ian, we travelled back down the tunnel. During this, the tunnel started getting brighter, from what source we did not know. Alec thought it might have been one of us using a mild Flash, however we stumbled upon the source of the glow soon enough.

It was an unconscious Charmander.

A bit confused as to how she (it was a she. I have to be careful what I'm saying or else she'll pound me) got there, as we'd been in the tunnel the entire time, we eventually picked her up and brought her with us. Due to my failure, I was designated as the one to carry her back to town. All thought of this, however, dissipated as soon as we reached the entrance. There was a small army of fighting-types surrounding the hole. We immediately launched into fighting. Luckily, I was a bit better of a fighter than I was a digger, so I didn't have to worry too much. Alec was a seasoned fighter, throwing his aura around in fantastic arrays. I wondered how he'd managed to get captured in the first place. Out of all of us, Alec probably KO'd the majority of the thugs. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to tell you about the fight, I just don't remember too much of it, it was kind of hectic and I got pounded on the head a bit much. Regardless, we staved off enough that we could make a clean getaway, unconscious Charmander in tow.

Back at town, we found the thugs waiting for us.

"You think you can get away with this?" Maurice practically screamed at us.

The volunteer police, which consisted mainly of high-ranking Guild members with nothing better to do, descended upon them what seemed seconds after the fight broke out. Maurice was felled by a swift kick from a Greninja, which surprised all of us. They also took Alec, so he could get back with his friend Poochyena, who had initially sent the message to the Guild. It left us all a bit stymied, I can assure you. It was a simple matter afterwards to drag our "luggage" to the hospital, explain some, then go back home on our merry way.

All in all, I've had worse days.

* * *

Thank you SO much for reading my story. I know parts of it are crap and are really rushed, I'm planning on doing a rewrite on some of these chapters when I get to about Chapter 20 or so.

Again, more references to the future. The other character mentioned in the description, a Piplup, will appear next chapter, which (if luck holds) should be tomorrow.

Oh, and a review came in for Chapter 02! :D

StrawberryFurret: _*claps*_

Oh, well thank you, sir, for reading my story!

Also, if you want to ask the characters questions, I can arrange that.

Another thing, I'm trying something out, making it sound more like it was recorded via microphone or something. I know they don't have Microphones in the PokéUniverse, but remember, Jacob is Human…so there you have it.

Oh, shoot! I forgot something! Eh, that detail can be worked out in the story later on. Don't worry, you're not missing out on much, just can't believe I missed such an important element! :(

Well, as always, have a lovely day/evening/night/whenever-the-heck-you're-reading-this, and I'll see you later!

- JacobDaGun


	5. Chapter 05 - Tunnel Trouble

I'm going to try making my chapters longer. This is the longest I've written, but I'd like them to be longer. Expect this in the future! :)

* * *

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The Shroud of Darkness**

_Chapter 05 – Tunnel Trouble_

"Whatever you do," Ian began, "don't fall down in there."

We were standing on the edge of a hole of some sort. It was rather wide, and it was deep. In fact, it was the largest hole I'd yet seen. I'd figured it was a sinkhole, and that some unfortunate soul had fallen inside. We could hear him calling out for help when we initially approached the hole.

Now, what forces of nature had caused the mess near the hole, I have no idea, but it was a complex network of tunnels. It twisted, convulsed, insert more descriptives here, etc etc. The area, aptly called The Spaghetti Bowl by locals (apparently, they had spaghetti here. Go figure.), was where our next mission had taken us.

I saw a sign down by the entrance to one of the tunnels, but since I couldn't read this language, I simply stared at it uncomprehendingly. I pointed it out to Mido, who asked me to read it.

"But I can't read," I stated.

"Okay, then Ia…wait, you can't read?" he asked in complete amazement.

He made a solemn pact right then and there to make me literate in this language when we returned home. Apparently the sign just said "Do not enter". Guess I hadn't had a chance to be awkward in this body yet, so nature was throwing all the awkward mishaps possible my way.

Anywho, enough griping about myself, and onto the labyrinth of tunnels by this very large sinkhole. We eventually got to the point where we had to split up and look for our guy ourselves. All was going well for me, until I ran into a certain Zubat. Now, I'd had run-ins with these guys before in the cave, and they'd been friendly enough for the most part, but this guy seemed different. He started to scream at me, "Get out of here, or I'll kill you" and other such threats. I'll admit, it put me off guard. Thankfully, the cave had some weird crystal things in there that emitted light, so I could see pretty well. Also allowed me to see the fact that this Zubat wasn't the usual purple; it was jet black.

I took a step back out of fear. He barreled towards me, and slammed into me. My skull, thank goodness, acted as somewhat of a helmet, so the impact wasn't too bad. It still hurt like the dickens though. I threw my bone at it and ran. Even more surprising than the evil-looking Zubat following me was when my bone came back. My mind pondered over this for a sec, then kicked back into "we're being chased, run" mode. I almost ran right off the cliff that I came to when the tunnel ended. I stopped right in time though. I was trapped though.

I was trapped between a rock and a Zubat place.

Out of sheer fear, I lashed out with my bone to try and strike it. I luckily smashed in its wing. It was grounded instantly. I breathed a sigh of relief, before turning back to the cliff. I peered down, looking for the bottom, or at least where our guy was. The show wasn't over for the Zubat yet, though, as suddenly I heard a sharp yell. Startled, I turned back around to the Zubat just in time to see some vapor rising off him. As the vapor stopped coming off him, I could see that the Zubat was actually just a regular Zubat. The vapor, though, was forming into something that I didn't particularly like the look of.

When it finished forming, it formed into a shape akin to a human, but not. He was entirely black (the color, not the race, mind you.) except for his eyes, which were like tall, white ovals on his face. He had horns on his head that slanted backwards, somewhat similar to that of a cat with his ears back against his head. His hands had sharp claws on the end, same with his digit-grade feet. His legs were fairly long when compared to the rest of his body, and he had an arrow-tipped tail whipping back and forth.

Oh, and he also had a full set of razor-sharp fangs, ready to bite. Strangely enough, I'd had a dream once where I'd been a creature similar to this one, and at school, everyone was running away from me, screaming something about Darklings or some-something-or-other. I decided in that split-second I had to react to call them that. Don't know why I wasn't trying to dodge his attack in that split-second. He slashed at me with claws, which caught me on my skull again, which took the brunt of the blow. Reacting quickly, I threw my arm back and sent it blazing towards this dark foe, smacking him with all the might I could muster with my bone. I was very surprised to see him flying from my blow. Apparently, this Darkling was fairly light. In an attempt to keep him down, I threw my bone again. Brilliant thinking on my part, actually, as the bone struck the creature. Then, it came back around and struck him again, returning to my grasp.

_Wait, _my brain began, _this is a bone, not a boomerang._

I then thrust my head out and slammed into the Darkling again, resulting in a very effective Headbutt. The dark creature then dissipated into the atmosphere. Breathing heavily, I collapsed.

What must've been only 10 minutes later, I had awoken to Mido carrying me.

"Whoa, wait, where'd you come from?" I asked.

"Oh good, you're up. You fainted."

"But where'd you come from?"

"I heard some kind of weird scream coming from over there, what exactly happened?"

"I'm not too sure myself, but I'll fill you in once we get back, okay?"

"Deal."

We eventually caught up with Ian, who was at a tunnel leading into the hole. There was a delicate network of rocks that created a ledge of sorts on the other side, where the guy who needed help was at. The Snivy, for that's what he was, had seen us and was calling to us.

"Hey! Can one of you get me out of here, please?"

This is when I learned that Ian, due to some birth defect or something to that effect, was physically unable to fly. He was preparing to try to glide across, for that he could do, when suddenly a rock came flying towards us. It sent me flying, due to the fact that it had latched to my hand. How that had happened was beyond us, but it had also compromised the integrity of that rock-pile floor. In layman's terms, the thing the Snivy was standing on collapsed.

The Snivy had managed to grab onto the wall, and Ian glided over. I'm glazing over this simply because I was still mulling over how that rock had flown. Anywho, Ian also had some Warp Orbs he had invested in, which allowed the user to teleport back to where they considered home. This was a problem, however, since he had all of them, forgetting to leave us one. But, at the very least, he and our client were out of there.

After a while after we realized we didn't have an Orb to get home with, I turned to Mido and simply stated, "Well, looks like we're walking."

* * *

Yay! Sorry for not updating, I had a few family obligations to take care of this week. But it's out now, so don't worry! We're also longer this time, and I really hope this becomes a thing from now on. Granted, it's not really all that much longer, but hey, it's an accomplishment.

Also, if anyone has any ideas for the cover, I'd be grateful for some help on that end.

Anyway, onto Reviewer's Corner! :D

StrawberryFurret: _Oho, I am humbled! Dat Title Though. MOOOOOOOOORE_

Your wish is my command. Also, thank you for your continued support, I appreciate it.

SilverScepter: _It's interesting, the chapters don't actually feel rushed to me. While they're extremely short, they seem to go into just enough detail.__My only complaint is the length of the chapters themselves, not their quality. It took me just a few minutes to read the first four chapters. I can't help but think that you could fit much more into one chapter._

Thanks. I know I need to make them longer, so that's why this is a tad longer than usual. I also tried fitting a bit more into this one, but it's still short I know.  
Next time, though, will be 1.5-2k hopefully!

Well, that's all I can think of at the moment, so have a lovely day and I'll write more tomorrow!

-JacobDaGun


	6. Chapter 06 - Take the Long Way Home

Apparently, this little story of mine is pretty popular! Also expect me to be getting some images of some of the characters soon.

Oh, and as far as the OC thing goes, I do accept them, but they won't be of the main party if that's what your asking. I'll likely have them be in a separate Team, or have them be the ones in need of rescue. If you have any though, I'd be happy to look at them.

I'm shooting for 1.8k - 2.0k words this time around!

* * *

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The Shroud of Darkness**

_Chapter 06 – Take the Long Way Home_

"Well, looks like we're walking."

These words echoed around inside my head as if my skull was empty and some guy was shouting inside of it. (Well, technically, my skull _was_ empty, and there was a guy shouting inside of it, but that's beside the point.) We had hiked for about a day and a half to get to the Spaghetti Bowl, but it was going to take about as long to get back. The walk back was fairly peaceful, and gave Mido and me plenty of time to converse amongst ourselves. Top of the list, though, was that dark creature I'd encountered. Neither of us had much of an answer for it. It left us wondering what exactly it was. Could it be a demon, or perhaps a creature born of hatred? Nevertheless, it left me and Mido shaken.

Another thing we talked about that I had no idea that this was even a thing, was that Lugia was missing. According to Mido, however, this wasn't the Lugia, rather his grandson or great-grandson; the Lugia of lore had been dead for years. This one left us somewhat stymied, as legendaries never really went missing, or at least that's what I knew. So, apparently, the world wasn't truly at peace. I decided right then that I'd try and fix what I could. After a bit, it started getting dark. We set up camp for the night, ate part of our rations, and began talking again for a bit, before we went to bed.

It was during this that I suddenly got a massive headache as a memory popped up in my head. That hurt, man, that hurt a lot. In fact, I was shaken back into knowing by Mido, who asked what had happened.

"I think I just remembered something."

"What did you remember?"

I thought back a little. It didn't take long for me to find the memory, which immediately had me gasp in shock.

I had just remembered my own death.

"What?" Mido exclaimed as soon as I'd told him what I'd remembered.

"I know, it doesn't make sense!"

"Well, do you remember what the murderer looked like?"

I paused a moment before responding.

"Actually, to tell you the truth, it looked a bit like that dark creature we saw earlier."

Mido thought for a bit before responding. "This doesn't make a lick of sense."

The conversation eventually dwindled down to us pondering this to ourselves, and what it meant. Mido eventually just shrugged. "Well, at least you're alive now, so that's pretty much all we really need, right?"

That night, I had a dream unlike what I'd ever had before. I was in a place filled with nothing but some strange orange haze. I heard someone calling for me, but I couldn't quite place it. Eventually the voice faded away. I heard it again briefly before I woke up.

"…stay safe…"

The next day was filled with Mido trying to see exactly how much I knew. I almost slipped a few times and admitted I was human, but caught myself in time. I didn't want to tell him, since that would probably alienate him from me. Hey, I was lost in a strange land, and I needed someone to be not dumb and help me do stuff. During the latter hours of the day, we drifted into conversation on where Mido came from, exploits he and Ian had together…you know, the regular stuff.

Sore feet and me using my bone as a walking stick later, we caught our first glimpse of Trebel Town. Would I have had more energy, I would've leaped for joy.

Ian apologized for leaving us behind, but made up for it by cooking that night, which was an extra treat, since he's a great chef, but he doesn't really cook much. I once asked him why he never cooked much, and he just shrugged and kept walking.

Next day, I believe it was when we got another call, from an anonymous person saying they saw some weird activity near their home and needed help. Naturally, we went. Our destination was Silvermist Falls, a locale with few residents, but it was a popular relaxation spot. I've never gone there much in my life, but it was where we were headed to. As luck would have it, Silvermist Falls was in relative proximity to Emerald Forest, so the hike would be rather short. Only took us about 2-3 hours to get there. Once there, we found a Poliwhirl panicking and telling us we needed to get rid of some ghost that kept moaning. I frankly didn't believe the ghost bit, however we did hear some moaning. We searched around for a bit before the moaning just stopped.

"'Ey, that ghost musta ran off when 'e heard ya comin!" exclaimed the Poliwhirl.

"Or," I injected, "it might've been this injured Piplup I found over here."

"Nah, that was a ghost if I ever 'eard one!" retorted the delusional Poliwhirl.

Ignoring the crazy frog, I picked up the unconscious Piplup and soon ran into the others.

"I don't know about any ghosts," I began, "but I found this. Should we take her back?"

Just then, the unconscious Piplup moaned, not unlike what we'd heard earlier.

"Eeh! She's bewitch'd I tell ya, bewitch'd!" the Poliwhirl practically screamed at me.

Mido eventually gave the frog a pound to the head, and he was silent for a while.

"Thank you, Mido." Ian began, "I was about ready to strangle him."

We decided it was in our best interests to take the "ghost" to the hospital, since she was suffering from…something. We didn't quite know what as of yet what ailed her. The doctors didn't know either, but they did what they could. Maybe she was just unconscious or something.

I don't know what luck of timing I had, but I was walking through the halls waiting to hear from the Piplup when…

CRASH

Some kind of equipment was thrown through a window in one of the patient's rooms. I tentatively poked my head through the ruined glass, and was surprised to find the Charmander sitting there, seething.

"You there!" she yelled at me. (The sound here muffles, as if the speaker was speaking off to the side. "Yes, you really were that violent.")

I pointed at myself in confusion.

"Yes, you, get over here!"

I entered the room, and she basically slammed me against the wall.

"Now, what kind of sick joke is this?"

"Wh…what do you mean?"

"Oh, do I have to spell it out to you? Okay, fine, so why oh _why_ do I look like a Charmander and where the bleep am I?"

I had an epiphany right then and there.

"Wait…are you a human as well?"

"Am I a human as well, oh you've gotta be joking me; Of course I am!"

"Ookay, time to explain some stuff then."

"Well, to start off, we're in the Pokémon universe at the moment. Here, they live in a decently civilized society. They also have Guilds, that basically act as a massive search-and-rescue force. Guilds delegate out missions to their teams, which I am a part of one. Me and my 2 other teammates found you during one of our other missions, completely out and in this underground tunnel of sorts. We took you here, since you weren't really responding."

"So, you mean this is like a Mystery Dungeon game?"

"I…I guess, I can't really remember what that is."

"You can't freaking re…"

"I have amnesia, so don't start on me."

"Well, I suppose that would explain something."

"At least I remember some stuff, like…well actually I don't remember very much to be honest. How much do you remember?"

"Well, I remember my family and a couple of other things, so I haven't forgotten too much."

"Wow, you lucked out."

"So, where's these two clowns you've been scouting around with, huh?"

"They're probably back at the base."

"Alrighty then, follow me."

I did not dare hesitate.

As soon as we arrived, our anger-driven Charmander pounded on the door. As soon as Ian opened the door, Charmander said in a very don't-mess-with-me type attitude "Who's in charge here?"

Ian peered around the grumpy lizard to me and gave me a look that looked something between concern and confusion. I just shook my head and shrugged my shoulders.

"Well," Ian started, "I suppose that would be me, more or less."

"Great, I'm joining."

* * *

Yep, I realize I'm falling somewhat short on my goal, something like 200 or so words short, but I'm getting there. Don't worry, next time should be longer. Also, if I'm a bit skimpy on detail here or there, sorry for that as well.

Now, onto Reviewer's Corner!

TheMezzerino: _Award for best title chapter pun goes to you :P Are you accepting OC's by any chance? I would like to submit one. c: The way this is written is great. Keep up the good work! c:  
_Well thanks. As far as the OC thing goes, I do accept them, but they won't be of the main party if that's what your asking. I'll likely have them be in a separate Team, or have them be the ones in need of rescue. If you have any though, I'd be happy to look at them.

Anywho, that should about do it for this time! You guys have a fabulous evening, and thank you guys for continued support. I appreciate it!

- JacobDaGun


	7. Chapter 07 - Well, That Just Happened

I love you guys for supporting this story. The final member of the team has yet to show up, so be looking for him/her.

Also, tell me if you like my style of writing, with the narrative thing. I personally enjoy working with it, as it allows me to have a bit of fun with it.

I mean yes, I found this audio in my mailbox one day and decided to transcribe it. Yeeeeeeeessss, that's exactly what happe-yeah, I'm just making this from memory. :P

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The Shroud of Darkness**

_Chapter 07 – Well, That Just Happened._

(A bang is heard, followed by a startled gasp of sorts. Shuffling is heard in the background. A muffled voice calls "I swear I put it here, but…" and the audio becomes incoherent for a moment before snapping back into clarity.)

Ah, here's the recorder. Sorry about that, I dropped it and couldn't find it for a second. Well, that distraction aside, let's continue on…now where were we? Right, the surprise member joining.

I suppose I'll just skip ahead to the next day, where we got another mission. Amanda, our resident Charmander, turned out to be quite the go-getter. I was surprised to see her packed before me and Mido were. Today's assignment would be taking us back towards the Spaghetti Bowl. Needless to say, I wasn't exactly ecstatic about this recent development. We went ahead and set out; a long walk was ahead of us though. Amanda, as I had already suspected, did not have a dull personality in the least. Mido was actually having quite the time talking with Amanda, who seemed to be able to speak in another language. Not fluently, as far as I could tell, but it was still good. I couldn't place it, so I had to ask her what it was. She said it was French, but I couldn't for the life of me remember what a French was.

(The speaker whispers here, saying "Keep this moment in mind, it's one of the few moments where Amanda is actually happy." The speaker then chuckles.)

Anyway, the next day, we're back at the Spaghetti Bowl. Mido and I shared glances of slight unease, remembering the encounter with that Darkling. Amanda ignored us and marched right up to the tunnel entrance.

"This way, right?" she hollered out behind her.

I'll give her credit where it's due, she was very unafraid.

We decided this time it would be better to go in 2 groups, rather than soloing it like we did last time. It would take a little longer, but it would be worth it. Secretly, I was hoping I'd end up with Mido, and I got lucky on that one. Amanda was sort of the newbie of the group, so Ian took her for protective reasons. Since me and Mido were seasoned, he let us go on our own.

The tunnels were just as twisty as before, but I'd gotten a little more used to it, so I was okay-ish. We wandered through them for a while, before, strangely enough, running back into Mido and Amanda. It was in a rather wide part of the tunnels, where the tunnels widened out into large caves. These usually had a few paths branching off them, but here it was just 1 other, excluding the one Mido and I had come from and the one Ian and Amanda came through. It was about then that I heard a strange cry from the remaining tunnel. It sounded vaguely familiar to me, but I did not dwell long on it. The majority of my attention was trained on the figures walking out of the tunnel. There were 4 of them, an Emolga, a Bellossom, Houndour, and a Scrafty. That was strange enough already, but the fact that they didn't seem to be the right color didn't really help. For example, the Bellossom was an odd shade of dark teal.

Also, their eyes were red. Not just the irises, but the whole eye. No white, or even any pupils were there; just a glowing red void.

"Guys," I started, "we might be a tiny bit screwed right now."

"Good gracious, what happened to them?" asked Ian out of nowhere.

That's about when the Scrafty started cackling.

Mido about passed out then.

Amanda, however, was completely unfazed. She simply walked up to the Scrafty, and stared at him. I swear, that girl has no understanding of the word "fear".

"You dare stand up against darkness?" the Scrafty boomed at us.

My mind instantly thought of the kamikaze Zubat from earlier.

"Darkling…" I muttered under my breath.

"Ah, so the gentleman in the back has heard of us, yes?"

Wait, that's actually what they were called? What are the odds?

Amanda simply stared at him and stated, "Look, if you want a fight, stop gloating about how awesome you think you are and actually throw a punch or something."

Mido squeaked.

"Very well, I shall be happy to obli-" the Scrafty began before he got a Mega Punch right in the face. How Amanda knew that, I'd never know, but it certainly got the Scrafty's attention.

Next thing I knew, I was hurtled into battle against the Houndour. Ian was handling the Emolga, while Mido went after the Bellossom. I kicked things off with a Bonemerang, the technique I was unwittingly using during the first Darkling I'd fought. I followed up by grabbing the dog in a choker hold that I'd remembered from Judo. I mustered some strength and jumped up, slamming him to the ground.

That move would soon become my favorite move, FYI.

He retaliated by firing some weird energy at me, which hit me dead on. He followed through with a Beat Up. I managed to kick him off me, and slammed my head into his. I'd hit him hard enough that it made him flinch, leaving me room to-

BAM!

A rock came out of nowhere and nailed him on the back of the head. That was enough to knock the Darkling clean out of him, which promptly met his end at the end of my bone.

I'd like to say that I could've finished the rest of them off on my own, but that weird beam he fired at me really took it out of me. The rock was also a bit of a mystery, but I could think on that one later. I surveyed the rest of the battle, picking out whom to help next. Amanda was my first priority, but as soon as I saw her fighting, I figured if anyone needed help over there, it was that poor Scrafty. Currently, Amanda was clinging onto him, jaws locked onto his neck. Mido seemed to be holding his own as well…or he did, then I saw the Bellossom do some funky something and he fell over paralyzed. I charged towards the two without second thought.

The Bellossom, as luck would have it, was fairly weak, but she relied a lot on making you weaker. Thankfully, a Headbutt and Judo throw later, she was out. My arm was asleep afterwards however. How the Bellossom had hit only my arm with Sleep Powder, I don't know. The Darkling fled before I could even get a chance to dispatch it, however. I knelt down next to Mido, who was completely out. I was wondering how I was going to take care of Mido when suddenly the Houndour came out of nowhere, eyes no longer glowing, and tackled the Scrafty.

"Jonas, snap outta it, man! What got into ya?"

Amanda and the Houndour had a brief argument on who was going to sensitize him once more, which left the Houndour at the losing end of that one. He moved on to helping Ian, which thankfully left me with the opportunity to find some berries in my pack.

After attending to Mido, I was about to rejoin the fray when I saw that the last Darkling begging for mercy from Amanda.

"I promise I won't hur-"

Nope, Amanda sent a fist flying through his head, which made him disappear.

Breathing heavily, Ian limped over to the Houndour and thanked him for saving him.

"Hey, ain't nothing, mate! Just tryin' to help my friends."

Boy, this guy had a good accent. Made my accent look dumb, all it does is make the word mountain sound different.

After recovery, we talked a bit and discovered that the call we had had already been taken care of. Jonas (the Scrafty) and co. had already helped the Whismur that we were supposed to help.

Amanda wasn't too happy about this.

"You mean that we came out all this way for freaking nothing?"

"Not quite, ya see we were possessed by the Darks and we needed help too, miss," replied the Houndour.

After saying our goodbyes, we left for home. The walk home wasn't happy, because Amanda wasn't happy. That's about the maddest I've seen her, to be honest. For example, we walked past a Pachirisu that got in her way, and she pounded on him. I swear, the poor squirrel walked away about half a foot shorter.

At noon on the next day, we got back. Amanda simply stated that she would be heading to bed, asked for objections, waited not even a second, then went off to the cots upstairs.

I, on the other hand, went to the hospital to check on the Piplup I'd found all that time ago. I was glad when I saw her awake. She had a weird look on her face, like she didn't understand something.

"Oh…hello…who are you?" she asked in a small voice.

"I'm Jacob, me and a few other guys I work with found you washed up in a waterfall in a bad state. We brought you here, to the hospital so you could get better."

"…what's a hospital?"

1.8 k words? I can live with that.

Alright, I hope you guys enjoyed, and for those wondering, yes the insert spoiler here. Well, I have nothing else I really want to talk about here, so onto Reviwerrrrrrr's Coooooorner!

pokemonkatia168757: _I love this story. This is amazing. Also, that charmander is hilarious. :-)_

Well, thanks! I'll admit this now, Amanda was originally a lot angrier when this story was in my head. I'm surprised by just how mellow I made her. Also it feels a bit early to be picking favorites, as we still have 2 more characters to introduce. Though, if you ask me, my personal favorites are Jacob and the character that hasn't been introduced yet. And don't worry, he'll be here in about two chapters. You'll have met him by the end of this week, I'm sure!

Oh, and if people want to ask the characters questions, feel free to ask them. I might make another story where your questions are answered by them, or I might just put their responses down by the Reviewer's Corner.

Well, that's about all I have to say. So you folks have a lovely insert time of day here, and I'll see you tomorrow! :)

- JacobDaGun


	8. Chapter 08 - Temple in Ruins

Man, I love my job. I've decided to try and write 2 chapters today. Why? Because I'm just really happy today and I don't know why.

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The Shroud of Darkness**

_Chapter 08 – Temple in Ruins_

I eventually found out that the Piplup had an extremely bad case of amnesia, worse than mine, actually. She had a hard time remembering anything. I spent a few minutes re-explaining certain concepts to her, such as hospitals, doctors, and banjos. I don't rightly recall why exactly we were talking about banjos, but whatever.

"Okay, I'm sorry, I just can't really remember very much."

"That's okay."

"That and I feel weird."

"How so?"

"I feel like I should be something else, but I don't know what."

I leaned in here, whispering to her, "a human, perhaps?"

"Yeah, one of those."

"Well, there aren't any here. Well, to be honest I actually am one, but-"

"Wait, didn't you say you were a Cubone though?"

"Well, I am a Cubone, but I used to be a human, does that make sense?"

"Uh, no?"

"Good, it doesn't make sense to me either."

She gave me the most bizarre look I have ever seen.

(The voice muffles here while the speaker is talking away from the recorder. The dialogue is unheard.)

Sorry, Ian was telling me something.

Back to the story, she gave me the most bizarre look I have ever seen. "Why doesn't this make sense to you?"

I sighed; this was going to take a while.

After talking with her for a little bit longer, and a little coaxing of the memory, both of us learned a thing. She found out why I was confused about my present state, and I learned what her name was: Katie.

She still had to recover from her…something, so I left her be.

The next day came, and we got another summons. This time, it came from another team, oddly enough. They were out by Talmar Ruins. Ian seemed a bit uneasy about this, and Mido outright cried "Are you kidding me?" Both I and Amanda had absolutely no idea what Talmar Ruins were, so Ian had to explain.

"Talmar Ruins are these odd ruins out in the middle of nowhere. Nobody knows where they came from, and the Archeologists never dare get close to it to see where it's from, since the place is overflowing with senile Yamask and Cofagrigus." Amanda, true to her nature, just said. "Alright, so when do we leave?"

I was a bit hesitant to enter the place, but I didn't really have much other choice. So, we all started packing. Seeing my less-than-thrilled attitude towards this, she simply stood next to me, said "Carpe diem", and then returned to her packing as well. I blinked in confusion initially, but then suddenly remembered that it meant "Seize the day", but how I knew that was beyond me.

Mido later came up to me and told me, "Okay, Amanda walked over to me after I was done packing and said something like 'carp of deal-them', do you have any idea what she meant?"

I replied, "It's 'carpa diam', or something like that. It means 'Seize the day'."

He muttered something about not understanding something – I didn't catch all of it – and returned to packing.

Soon, we were on the long dusty trail, this time heading to the desert. I'd brought extra water for everyone else. I was a Ground-type, and didn't need water as much. To be honest, I was actually having a fairly good time out there. Ian didn't seem too down, though he never did, honestly, and Amanda was fairly chipper as well. Mido, however, proved to be the downer of the group.

"This was poorly planned," moaned the despondent Treecko.

Some of us, myself excluded, shared a laugh at his expense.

The desert wasn't as kind to me as it had been during the day, as the night brought cold, enough to freeze the bones. Amanda was completely fine, though, her fire keeping her completely warm. I was somewhat jealous of that fact, but then again, the next day I was going to be really happy.

That night, as I was sleeping, a voice spoke to me in my dreams.

"Jacob, listen…you must listen, as I have important things to-"

"I'm listening…"

"Good. Your powers are awakened, learn to use them well."

"Ok…powers? What powers?"

"I'm sorry I could not save your memory…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…" the voice echoed as it faded away.

"Wait, hold on, you haven't exp-"

I woke up.

"-lained anything!"

Amanda, the only other person awake at the time, gave me a strange look.

"…the heck are you doing?"

A few hours into the next day, and the sky suddenly became dark. The sun was obscured by wind blown sand, and the wind was furious that we had dared enter its domain. The sandstorm hit, and everyone was practically knocked off their feet. I was unaffected, Amanda was standing strong, Mido had toppled over, and Ian was struggling to stay up. I picked up Mido, and we pressed onward through the storm, trying to find the exit, or some release from the constant blowing sand. Amanda eventually had to support Ian, as the sandstorm only grew fiercer.

As we stumbled through the storm, a sudden wall of stone rose out of the ground in front of us, shielding us from the storm. We thanked whatever powers there were that had made this wall, and rested a moment behind it. I stood in the sandstorm, looking for anything that might let us know where we were. I also stood out there, so I could alert the others when the storm had abated, since they were going to rest a moment. Personally, I felt great in the sandstorm, but not everyone was as compatible with it as I.

Hours passed, and the storm finally blew itself out. Everyone else was out, so I looked around the desert for a bit. We later decided to camp there, as this was basically as far as we were going to be able to go that day.

2 more days of travel later, and we finally reach the shade of the ruins. Amanda was stoked (no pun intended) to finally be there. We met the rest of the team outside, wrestling with an Electrike who had seemingly gone mad. There was a Chatot, a Machop, and a Vibrava, in addition to the insane dog-like Pokémon who was fighting against the Machop's strong grip.

"Ah, there you are!" the, apparently feminine, Machop said, "I was wondering where our help was!"

"We got held back by that sandstorm a few days ago," stated our disgruntled Treecko.

"We, through some incredible chance, saved him ourselves," started the Chatot, "but then the inconceivable happened, and this gent has been afflicted by some strange ailment ever since!"

Amanda leaned over to me. "Man, I like him." She said.

I leaned down to look over the Electrike to see whether or not his eyes were red, since we'd come across that quite a bit recently.

"What are you doin, mister?" asked the Vibrava in a childish tone.

"I'm trying to see what's wrong with him," I replied back.

"Jolly good, you're a doctor!" exclaimed the Chatot.

"No, no, I'm not a doctor, I'm just seeing if my suspicion is right, that he's got…well, I'm just seeing if I know what's wrong with him."

He looked fine, but he kept muttering something under his breath.

Suddenly, he broke loose of the Machop's grip and dashed off.

"Timothy, what on earth are you doing, lad?" asked the Chatot.

The Electrike, Tim apparently, couldn't hear him though.

He was already inside the ruins.

I know, I'm sorry, I really am, but I just had to end it there. I know I'm falling short on words, and I apologize, but next time will be better, I promise.

Anywho, onto Reviewer's Corner! :D

pokemonkatia168757: _Well, I'm not picking a favorite just yet, but seriously, Amanda is funny. In her own crazy way. :-) I enjoyed this chapter, very interesting. Can't wait to know more about these Darklings. Great job!_

Good to see you're not picking favorites yet, and I'm glad you like my characters! :) Thank you for reading, and don't worry, I'll explain Darklings later on.

Big welcome to some somewhat important characters that will be on some adventures with Team Terra: Team Seekers!

And another big welcome to the new dividers I'm using from here on out!

Anyway, I won't beg for reviews, but I reeeeeeally like reading them. Seriously, they make my day. But, if you'd like to drop a review, or a question to any of the characters that have popped up, feel free to do so! I'd love to hear from you.

Well, that about does it. I'll try and write another chapter today, because I'm feeling reeeal good today, so expect an update later tonight, okay?

Alright, see ya then!

- JacobDaGun


	9. Chapter 09 - Makeshift Asylum

Since last chapter was fairly short, I decided to make 2 today. I might (a very small might) make one later tonight.

Oh, and these chapters do have plenty of references in them. If you spot any, send a review in. For starters, Chapter 03 has one near the end. If you catch it, I'll give you a cookie.

**::::::::::::::::::::**

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The Shroud of Darkness**

_Chapter 09 – Makeshift Asylum_

After Tim ran into the ruins, we just stood there for a second, somewhat surprised at this recent turn of events.

"I believe it would be in our best interests to make an escapade into the ruins once more to retrieve our comrade," the Chatot eventually said.

"Chance, you took the words right out of my mouth!" exclaimed the Machop.

"Waiting won't solve anything, Rose. We simply must follow him," cawed the Chatot, who we know knew to be Chance. He then swooped into the ruins after his teammate.

We soon followed suit.

When we got inside, the first thing I saw was a golden mask glittering in front of my head. I looked up, and saw the Yamask that the mask belonged to.

"Ni! Why you here?"

Amanda snickered behind me.

"Uh…" I began uneasily, "someone just sprinted in here, we'd like to find him, if you don't mind?"

"No one come in, all stay out, all but hero. Ni!"

I gave a despairing look to the Yamask before turning to our new companions. "Anyone know what the heck he's talking about?"

"Ni!" barked the Yamask unexpectedly, "you hero, you come in. All else stay."

"But, wha-" I had time to choke out before I was escorted (none too lightly) by a small army of Yamask.

"We wait long for you, now you here. We protect temple for you, we help you. Ni!"

I have no idea why he ended every sentence with ni, but whatever.

"What are you talking about?"

"Ah, hero forget. This is fine, we help you remember. Ni ni!"

"Remember wha-"

Again, I was interrupted; this time, by a frying pan.

"Ow, what was that for?"

"Ni! You remember now?"

"No, that just hurt."

"Good, you remember. You remember pain. Ni!"

This guy needed a jacket; the straighter, the better.

"Now, you pass test, you help world. Ni!"

Some part of my mind piped up then: _But I didn't study!_

About then, the Yamask gave a simultaneous "Ni!" and shoved me into a pit I didn't even know was there.

"Ni! You use rock to get up, and we get you to friend. Ni!"

Use rock…what?

I saw no rocks down here. In fact, the only stones _in_ the pit were the sandstone bricks that made up this place. Was I supposed to climb up them?

No, definitely not, the guys who made this did a very good job. The stones were locked together tightly. How in the heck was I supposed to get out of here? I tried moving a stone out with my bone, but to no avail. I stayed down there for a while, trying several times to climb it, but to no avail. My mind thought around for a while, and stumbled across something. I thought back a bit, to that first mission by the Spaghetti Bowl where the rock had flown across the hole and stuck to my hand. In fact, I still had that rock somewhere. Then I thought about the second trip there, when the rock suddenly flew at that Houndour, knocking him clean out. The memory of the dream of the lady who said my power was awake came to mind, as well as the wall of stone. Suddenly, my mind clicked together the pieces, and an idea came to mind: _I wonder if I could move these…_

I focused on the stone in front of me, willing it to come forward. A few minutes passed, and I realized the stone was doing absolutely nothing. I tried calling upon some force within me, but I just couldn't seem to find it. Irritated, I figured if I was inside my head I could find it easily.

I thought of the door of fire in my mind. I figured either that was my body heat, or it was the battery for this power I might have.

Trying to focus on that, I tried again. It wasn't until I slammed my fist into the wall in frustration that anything happened. The block I hit went scooting backwards a little. An idea formed. Placing my palms – or at least I think I had palms – on the stone, I focused again, this time pulling my hands away from the stone.

To my utmost surprise, it moved. I stared at the block for a few seconds before I whooped in accomplishment.

About then, I heard some angry sounding "Ni!"'s from up above. Sliding a few more blocks so I could get out, I ran up the staircase I made to see what was going on.

All I saw were my teammates, the other team, and a wall of angry blackness. Looking off to the side, I saw Tim, huddled in a corner whimpering. I made a mad dash towards him, grabbed him, and ran towards everyone else.

"Guys, I got him. Let's get out of here!" I yelled at them.

The Yamask looked stunned for a second, which was all the time I needed to get my little hiny out of there. Everyone else followed suit. As soon as everyone was out of the ruins, I suddenly thought of the Yamask, possibly following us out of there. So, as sort of a _coup de grace_, as Amanda would say, I mustered all my might and caused a big chunk of the ceiling to fall in front of the doorway, blocking exit to the ruins.

"What in the ****?" Amanda shouted, "Where the crap did that block come from?"

I acted surprised as well, to not set off any bells.

Suddenly, the Electrike from my back piped up, "Uh, can you let me down?"

I obliged.

"Ah, Timothy," cajoled Chance, "I was deeply afraid we would not see you again, but alas we are alive and well!"

"Chance," piped up the Vibrava, "do you always talk like that?"

Timothy shot her a dirty look. "Serena, don't make fun of other Pokémon."

"Oh fine," she conceded.

Amanda then wheeled around to me and popped the question, "So how did you get out of that hole anyway?"

I paused only a moment to come up with a suitable answer.

"I found a hidden stairway."

She didn't seem completely convinced, but she went with it.

Rose spoke up for the first time in a while, "Shouldn't we be headed home?"

We all agreed, and started back for town together. As it turned out, we lived in the same general area; they just lived on the other end of town, so we didn't see much of each other.

**::::::::::::**

As soon as we got back, I checked in with Katie. She, as luck would have it, had just been admitted out of the hospital the day prior, but had stayed there as she had nowhere else to be.

Mido, however, caught wind of this, and immediately went to Ian to ask if she could stay here. I helped Mido, though, as I felt some feeling towards her. It wasn't romance, I knew what that was, it was…different. I couldn't place it, but I just knew that we had to be near one another. Ian was happy to have her, and she joined in the next day. For the next week or so, I helped get her combat-ready. We also spent that week explaining things to her, as she remembered next to nothing. I also told Amanda in secret that Katie was once human as well. She didn't have a massive reaction to this, just sort of a "Eh, okay" type attitude. The only other thing that really happened during this week of not doing much was I remembered a language I'd forgotten previously: German. I used it too. In fact, Amanda started yelling at me for doing something stupid and I yelled back at her that "deine Mutter ist eine Erdferkel." (You Mother was an Aardvark)

She replied that "Vous avez l'intelligence d'une fille scolaire japonais" (You're as smart as a Japanese School Girl)

We went back and forth like this for a minute, not understanding the other's insults, while Mido and Katie were staring at us like we'd gone mad. Would've been interesting seeing it from an outside perspective, just seeing the two of us yelling at each other in a language the other didn't understand. Eventually, the last insult hurled, we stood glaring at each other for the space of a few seconds. Then, we busted out laughing.

"I couldn't even tell what you were saying!" I gasped.

"Me neither!" she heaved.

*sigh*…good times.

**::::::::::::**

So, a week passed, and at the end of that week we got a mission. The gist of it said that we needed to escort a Pokémon in need to the hospital. Not a bad mission, I suppose. We packed up, Katie receiving help from Mido on how to pack, and set off.

Our destination wasn't too far, fortunately, so the going was fairly easy. The place we were at was near the desert we'd been at last week, where there were Mesas and Arches…It was pretty stuff. Then, Katie cracked a joke out of nowhere.

"Mido."

"What?"

"Want to know how to get the ladies?"

"Wh…uh, I guess?"

"Just take them to the mesa's, it's the highest form of flattery."

I about died laughing there. In fact, my sided ached for a few minutes after that. Everyone else got it…kind of. I had gotten it immediately, and man that was funny.

(The audio scratches and muffles for a bit, before returning to its former state.)

Hello, is this thing working? Hello?

….

Ah, here we go, that's what was wrong. Okay, back to the story.

So we walked out a bit further and found a Tyrogue carrying a Bagon on his back. The Bagon looked as if he'd seen better days; for starters, he had a big clout of blood on the side of his head. He was bloody, scratched, and barely conscious. We wasted no time in getting him back. The doctor was on us as soon as we walked through that door.

I'll admit, I was worried for the guy, so I waited at the hospital, and I waited, and waited…waited…waited…

Little did I know that the forces of darkness were still gathering…

**::::::::::::::::::::**

Oops. Guess my dividers didn't make it into the story. Sorry about that.

In apology, I made this chapter, which is easily one of the longest I've yet made.

And, there's a new Cover! It's not quite finished, so expect another update to it so it's better.

Anyway, onto Reeevieweeeerrr's Coorrrrnerrrr!

pokemonkatia168757: _You reading reviews? I like reading your story! Nice chapter, it's getting very interesting! :-)_

Yes, of course I read your reviews. In fact, you're probably the reason you got this second chapter, since that review just made me even happier than before. Also, thanks for keeping up, I appreciate it. As far as the story goes…yeah crap just got real.

Anyway, I haven't gotten any questions for the characters yet, so there's no section for it yet.

Also, what do you guys think of that Bagon, eh?

So, hope you guys have a lovely day, and I'll see you later.

- JacobDaGun


	10. Chapter 10 - Enter the Dragon

Pokemonkatia, your reviews make my day. They really do.

**::::::::::::::::::::**

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The Shroud of Darkness**

_Chapter 10 – Enter the Dragon_

It was the next morning when I woke up, still sitting in the same chair. It was still dark out, nobody really out. I tried going in to see our friend, who – according to the Tyrogue – fell from the sky, presumably trying to fly. However, his room was locked; evidently, everyone had gone home. Walking out of the hospital, I decided to go on a short hike while I waited for everyone to get back. Man, I love the morning air, when the air is crisp and slightly chilled…nothing better in my mind. It's just awesome watching the world waking up. A rejuvenating hike later, I came back to the hospital, which was still empty. So, I waited.

About 5-10 minutes later, I was alerted to a clicking noise. Then, the door opened, and Doctor Hale (the lead doctor here, he worked on me, Katie, and Amanda, and was currently working on the new guy) walked in.

"Oh, you're still here," he stated as if I was here all the time, which truthfully I was. Not for treatment, but for conversation and checking in on the people we'd saved.

"Yeah. Oh, and you left the door open."

"I did? Hmm, good thing you were here then."

"So what's the word with the guy we brought in?"

"I swear, amnesia is a popular thing around here."

"Amnesia?"

"Yes, that fall knocked him out, along with a large amount of his memories."

"Does he remember anything?"

"Just one memory, something about his friends and a pool, and his name: Brent."

"So that's his name then?"

"According to what he's said, yes."

"Will he be okay then?"

"I managed to fix that crack in that skull of his, so he should recover. Give him some time, Jacob, nobody recovers quickly."

"Yeeah, I suppose that's true."

"Though, if he's anything like you or that Charmander, he'll likely be out of here within the hour."

"I didn't recover _that_ fast."

"Well, regardless, it's still going to take some time. Why don't you go do something else?"

"Oka-"

"What are you guys talking about?" asked a voice out of nowhere.

The doctor sighed. "I told you he'd be out within the hour."

**::::::::::::**

"So you're the guy who saved me?" asked the dragon.

"Yeah, me and my teammates."

"Ah. So…just curious, do any of them happen to be…what was it called?"

"Uh, I don't know, you never tol-"

"Oh, right. Are any of you guys a 'Cubone' by chance?"

"Well, that'd be me. Why do you ask?"

"This lady was talking to me in a dream, and told me that I needed to go with a 'Cubone'."

I nodded slowly.

"You don't think I'm crazy, do you? Please understand, I'm not remembering anything, so I'm just going off what I'm getting told."

"Amnesia, you mean?"

"Yeah, that!"

"Don't worry, same thing happened to me."

"You have amnesia?"

"Yep."

"Well, that's a common thread then."

"Yep."

We sat silent for a little bit.

"C…can I tell you a secret?" asked Brent.

"Sure, why not?"

"Okay, I don't remember being a…a…a whatever I am. I actually think I'm supposed to b-"

"Supposed to be a human?"

"Yeah, that. Do you think I'm crazy, and did anyone els-"

"Don't worry, I'm one too. Don't know why I'm here, but I think it's because of these Darklings that have been popping up everywhere."

"Darklings?"

"They're these weird human-like creatures that are completely black, as if they were made of shadows. The only visible feature on them is their oval eyes, which are a stark white. They come equipped with claws, horns, fangs, and a spiked tail."

"They sound nasty."

"They are. They can possess Pokemon and control them. I've seen 5, but there's probably a lot more."

"I think I should come with you."

"You explained that already, so I'm okay with it. I'd have to ask everyone else, though. The main person I'd need to ask is-"

"Me?" said Ian, startling me with his sudden appearance.

"…yep, you." I replied.

"Please," pleaded the Bagon, "I'm lost and don't really know what's going on. I'd be willing to work really hard and do stuff, and…"

Ian held up a clawed wing to silence him. "Dude, the thing I'm concerned about is the fact that you have the drive to join us. I don't care how inexperienced you are, the more, the merrier."

Brent bowed and thanked him repetitively.

"No, stop groveling," reprimanded Ian, "it's unbecoming."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know, and…"

"Brent," I started, "maybe you should stop talking before you embarrass yourself more.

"Yeah, that'd be great."

**::::::::::::**

The most excited out of any of us to see him join us was Mido. The two bonded darn near instantly. Katie was a bit confused about this recent development, and Amanda could care less.

Me? I was sort of…curious, you might say. I didn't know what to make of him yet. The fact that there were now 4 humans, myself included, in the Pokemon world – where humans don't exist – was not boding well. Why were we here, was it some strange force of nature, or perhaps it was the Darkling's fault. And what about that lady who talked to us in our dreams, what of her? Things were definitely not as simple as they were originally thought to be.

So, after Brent joined, he turned out to be a very hard worker. He even cooked pretty well, he could almost give Ian a run for his money…well, _almost_. He worked hard at getting strong so he could help us and what not, and he worked hard making sure everything was good. I'll admit, he was very persistent, and I appreciate that. As ready as he was, though, nothing happened. We had a 2, no 3 week break where absolutely nothing happened. Well, almost nothing.

Several days into this non-working hiatus, Amanda started complaining about the lack of things to do. Cabin fever was setting in, and we needed an escape. I'll admit, I was somewhat bored by that point as well, but figuring out how my rock powers, or Geomancy as I liked to call it, helped occupy my time. Eventually, we got bored enough that we decided to take a trip down to the beach to alleviate our boredom.

Everyone but Amanda seemed thrilled to be doing this. Then again, the whole fire-and-water thing was probably a catalyst to her problem. When we arrived, she was, again, fairly unimpressed. I was ready to wade in, before Mido gave me a confused look as to what I was doing. Then I remembered about that whole ground-and-water thing, and my biological aversion to water. I would not be taking part in the water. I was very unhappy about this, but Amanda was at least happy that she could have someone to torment for the next little while.

Exploring around the beach, for lack of a better thing to do, I chanced upon a cave. Ignoring the "Do not enter" sign nearby, I went inside to look around. Amanda saw what I was doing, and followed me in. The cave winded around for a bit before it dumped us out in a huge room. Since Amanda had followed me, the fire on her tail lit up the area around us, making it less dark, but even her light did not reach the entire room. Throwing up a Flamethrower, we got the chance to see the room, and the only thing that was really unique about it was the completely circular pool of water sitting in the middle of the room. It was a few yards across, and it was very reflective, allowing us to see ourselves. I'll admit, this was probably the first time I'd really seen myself, so it was interesting giving my body a look-over. Amanda was doing something a little similar, though she was trying to wipe off the soot that had accumulated on her muzzle. Wanting to see how deep the pool was, I dipped my bone in to see how deep it was.

I dropped it, however, and it sank right to the bottom.

I stared at the ripples that were emanating from the spot where I'd dropped it for a second, then I spoke.

"Well, crud."

Taking a deep breath, for I'd never been particularly fond of water, I braced myself and jumped in.

Strangely enough, the water was quite warm and relaxing. I gasped slightly in surprise at how this was different from that river I'd awoken in a few weeks prior. Then, a realization hit me like a brick.

You can't gasp underwater without breathing water.

Experimenting a little, I let out my breath, and tried breathing normally. I could breathe the water.

"What is this, did I grow gills or something?"

I heard Amanda calling out, "Jacob? What the heck? Where are you?"

"I'm under the water, but…this doesn't make sense."

Ignoring her questions, I tried swimming downwards. I touched the bottom, and grabbed my bone.

"Okay, coming up!"

When I surfaced, however, the light of Amanda's flame was gone. Instead, it was replaced by 2 large eyes, glowing a light blue in the darkness.

Where the heck was I?

**::::::::::::::::::::**

A big welcome to the newest member of Team Terra, Brent the Bagon!

I'm really happy that this got done, I was actually somewhat concerned that I wouldn't actually write a chapter today, but I did! :D

So, onto Reviewer's Corner!

pokemonkatia168757: _Oh that was a typo! I meant to say "You like reading reviews?" Oh well. Awesome chapter! I like how you ended it in that kind of foreshadowing/mysterious way. And new character! Can't wait to find out about this one! Thank you for the awesome work! :-)_

It's okay, I knew what you meant. Thanks, by the way, for making my day, you're awesome. And you're welcome.

Hope you guys like the new cover, since it's staying for a while.

So, since I have nothing else to say, just drop a review if you like it, those really do make my day. Also, have a lovely day, and I'll see you with a new chapter, hopefully tomorrow! :)

- JacobDaGun


	11. Chapter 11 - The Face of Darkness?

Well, turns out my Minecraft account is basically broken, so now I'm sad.

Anyway, couldn't sleep, so I decided to write more of the story. You know, because what else would I be doing at 2:00 AM?

**::::::::::::::::::::**

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The Shroud of Darkness**

_Chapter 11 – The Face of Darkness?_

Those glowing eyes, there wasn't really a way to describe being placed under their cold stare. Suddenly, whatever creature that was that owned those eyes moved towards me, observing me closer. As he did so, I could make out a sharp beak-muzzle…thingy. I also faintly saw a strange pointed mask-like thing on each eye. As soon as I saw the "mask" of this creature, I immediately recognized it as a Lugia. Was this that Lugia that Mido had mentioned those many weeks ago, the one that had gone missing? Deciding to try this theory, I was about to speak when the Lugia (?) spoke.

"Who are you?"

The voice commanded such authority. I lifted off my skull so I could better see the figure, which was still shrouded in darkness.

"I am Jacob, and I don't know why I am here."

The Lugia (?) gave a snort. "How did you get through that portal? Only certain people can pass through there, and you don't appear to be any of them."

"I'm sorry for any problems I may have caused," I spoke, while bowing, my skull held in both hands as if it were a hat or something, "I just dropped something in the pool and went to retrieve it."

"You shouldn't even have been able to get through there, save you were one of the heroes of legend."

"Heroes? What do the heroes do?"

"They cle…why am I talking to you? You should leave before I make you."

"I'm sorry, but I do have a question."

He sighed in apparent annoyance. "What?"

"Are you the Lugia that went missing?"

"Yes, however I am…compromised at the moment."

"Compromised? How so?"

Suddenly, the Lugia (Confirmed to be a Lugia now) drew up to it's full height, and stepped closer towards me, into a beam of light.

It was, indeed, a Lugia, but with strange colorings. On his belly, "mask", and other appendages where it should have been blue, it was instead an ugly maroon color. A deep color replaced what should have been white. His eyes were an uncommon shade of purple.

"What happened?" I asked.

Drawing back into the shadows, he responded. "This is a scar of sorts for my irresponsible behavior."

He took a deep breath, then continued. "I was rash, not wanting to wait for the heroes to arrive to take care of the darkness. So, I found their leader, a Darkling by the name of Galbarix, and challenged him to the death. He took on a form similar to mine, but with the colors you see on me now, and blood red eyes. He offered little resistance to my attacks, so I continued my onslaught. Then, when I was about to deliver the final blow, he replaced his soul into my body, leaving me with this dark shell of a body."

Realization struck me as I realized that this could possibly mean…

"Yes," he responded, as if reading my mind, which he likely was, "he has stolen both my body and my powers. I now must recover, and hope sincerely that the heroes arrive."

I replaced my skull, not realizing I'd had it off.

The Lugia spoke again. "You're not one of the heroes by chance?"

"I honestly have no idea."

The Lugia closed his eyes, and I felt another presence enter my mind. After this mental probe stuck around for a while, it retreated, and the Lugia opened his eyes.

"At last, the heroes are beginning to arrive."

"Wait, a…am I a hero?"

"Yes, you are. I believe you've had a run-in with a Darkling, yes?"

"Well, yeah, I have. A few times, actually."

"Then you know that our world is in danger."

"Yes, but backing up, why am I a hero?"

The Lugia said nothing for a while, and then said, "You're not from here, you are a human, and you've developed special powers, am I not correct?"

"Human, yes, and the special power thing, isn't that just my ability to move rocks?"

"Ah, so you are the Hero of the Earth then?"

"I, uh…I guess so."

"Then you should know that your power extends beyond simple movement of the earth, which could be accomplished by manual force alone. It was made for combating the Darkness, which is even now permeating the very earth we stand on."

"I just had a thought. So, there's 3 other humans here, are they heroes as well?"

"Perhaps."

"Okay, good to know…so what do I do?"

"Why, you must get stronger and fight the darkness!"

Seemed like a plan, more or less, to me.

**::::::::::::::::::::**

Look, I know it's short, don't give me crap, I'm tired and in a bad mood.

Well, reviewer's corner time.

pokemonkatia168757: _Loved that ending! Just makes me more excited for next chapter! I forgot to say this before, but Jacob's powers are very interesting. Brent seems like a nice new character. I'm very excited to see where this story is going to go. Also, I like your selection of characters. Jacob, Brent, and Ian are not pokemon you would usually see. Well, as always, awesome job! Thanks! :-)_

Well, here's the next chapter for you. Also, thanks for just plain being a big support. Also, glad you like Brent. (Personally, as far as favorite characters go, it's a tie between Jacob, Brent, and Chance.) As far as the choice of characters, I didn't want to use overly generic characters, as I've read plenty of fan fiction for Pokémon, and it's always Lucario/Riolu, Eevee, Pikachu, and the starters of course. Again, both thanks and you're welcome.

Also, if anyone wants to ask questions to me or a character, please send it in a review. I'd like to do more than just reviewer's corner, or that might be my sleep deprivation talking. Eh, whatever.

So, have a lovely, whatever time of day it is, and I'll…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…

- JacobDaGun


	12. Chapter 12 - Darkness Revealed

How the heck am I getting 50-60 views? Also, sorry for not posting this earlier, I just got to the point where I couldn't write it anymore. So sorry about that.

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The Shroud of Darkness**

_Chapter 12 – Darkness Revealed_

The Lugia, who I soon knew to be as Vazir, related the history of the darklings as far as he knew as well. I'll synopsize it for you.

So, the darkling race hails from their own dark dimension. The race itself is old, very old. They interlock in their own wars, and they have legends of their own. They also have a leader, whose name is Galbarix. This is the main gist of what he told me.

After telling me this, he told me one more thing before he sent me off.

"I know not exactly _how_ those powers work, but transferring something into a physical motion just might help."

**:::::::::::::::**

When I resurfaced, Amanda was sitting up there, who had waited for me.

"Ah, there you are! I was about ready to jump in myself if you didn't come out soon!" she yelled at me.

I blinked. "How long was I gone?"

"A few minutes, probably more."

"Ah, okay."

I spent a fair amount of time explaining the pool of water felt at her discretion. We left the cave soon afterwards. As soon as we hit the beach once more, I found myself wondering what we could do. I remembered a vague reference to "Volleyball" and mentioned this to Amanda. Soon after I told her this, we began trying to remember the sport itself. Amanda had never really played it. She knew of its existence, but had never seen it being played for herself. I, on the other hand, had played it a few times, but my memory was…lacking, so I couldn't remember how it worked. We eventually gave up on remembering it, and started hitting a ball back and forth over a rope. Ian, who hadn't been too fond of the water after all, found us and began asking what exactly we were doing.

"I remember a sport, I just can't remember how it's played. This was the best we could figure." I responded.

Ian gave us a puzzled look. "Are you trying to play Volleyball?"

They had Volleyball here? What were the odds?

"Yeah, that." I replied.

"Well, you're doing it wrong," Ian stated simply.

"And I suppose," Amanda said in a less-than-interested voice, "that you're an expert on Volleyball?"

"As a matter of fact, I played it all the time when I was younger. I had daydreams of making it big as a professional Volleyball player, but my wings wouldn't allow it. So, I decided to help others instead."

I was a bit confused. "So, you gave up on a dream, and you're okay with that?"

"Well, I was good at it, but I've found rescuing those in help to be more…fulfilling, I s'pose."

Apparently, the Pokemon version of Volleyball is a bit different than our version. For starters, their teams were different. Each team would have 5 players, 2 of which would be flying. There were variations to this, of course, but this was the professional set-up of a team. There were a few other variations, but that was the main difference. As it turned out, Brent was done with the water, and so we set up a 2-on-2 match with an actual net. I teamed up with Amanda, while Brent and Ian were on another. As luck would have it, Amanda was actually pretty good at it. I missed the ball once, and she knocked it back with a wicked smack of her tail. Brent and Ian had a great strategy going, where Brent would intercept the ball when it got to their side and bump it over to Ian, who would send it over the net. 15 minutes later, both of us had only scored 3 times. During that time, we had adopted Brent and Ian's strategy, where I would pass the ball over to Amanda. Every so often, we switched roles.

Oh, it could've gone a lot longer, but suddenly the wind picked up and carried off our ball. In fact, it was picking up a lot of things. The sky suddenly became dark, and the ocean grew furious. I have never seen so many people get out of the water so fast. I saw a few water-types, who were apparently the life guards, jump in and start hauling people in. I was worried when I didn't see Katie or Mido. We had to evacuate the beach, and the 4 of us were concerned about Katie and Mido. We stayed as long as we could to get them, but they simply weren't coming. Eventually, the guards forced us off the beach. As we were walking off, something burst out of the water towards us. It was Katie, who had used an Aqua Jet to get her and Mido out of the water. I picked up Mido, and began carrying him, much like he did to me when he first met me. I gave one last look towards the water, where pillars of water were shooting out of the ocean. A faint call echoed on the wind…

Back at our base, Katie administered CPR to Mido, which surprised all of us, since we didn't know Katie knew CPR. It even surprised Katie, who said that some memories of her saving other people came to mind and she remembered everything.

Then, Ian popped the question: "People?"

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Sorry this chapter was so short. Just think of this one as a continuation of the last chapter which was short as well. In fact, I'd be surprised if I even broke 1,000 words on this chapter.

Well, I've got a review to respond to, so here we go.

pokemonkatia168757: _Your welcome. I'm just telling you what I think of the story. This chapter is pretty interesting. I like it! Can't wait to find out more. I don't really have a question for a character yet, but if I think of something, I'll be sure to ask! Awesome work! Thank you! :-)_

You like the short chapters? Should I do more of them? :P So, yeah, sorry for this week's lack of information, but…what are you gonna do? Also, remember that if you really want to write questions, they can be to anyone in this story, whether it be villain, teammate, other teammate, rescued person, heck, you could even ask me. Also, _you're_ the awesome one for staying with this story. And, you're welcome as well.

Also, I think it's time I mentioned one more thing. This fan fiction has received a tiny amount of inspiration from another fan fiction I read: PMD Defenders of Warmth. You'll see similar concepts from there, but nothing drastic. All that's from there is a variation on the author's Guild layout, the amounts of memory lost, and one character idea. That is it, however. It's not enough to say it's based on that one, but I feel like I should mention that before I forget to mention it.

So, as always, thanks for reading, and have a lovely day.

- JacobDaGun


	13. Chapter 13 - Discovered

Still sitting here, feeling like crap. I've got a bucket here, just in case my stomach decides to empty itself, with or without my consent.

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The Shroud of Darkness**

_Chapter 13 – Discovered_

"People?" asked Ian quizzically.

I tried not to look too suspicious as he pondered more on this.

"Uh…what about it?" asked Katie.

Ian snapped back to reality from his daydre-er, thoughts. "Huh? Oh, right. Y'see, my dad had a good friend that used that when he talked about where he was from. Turns out, he was a human."

If this had been done in Japanese Anime/Manga style right then, my pupils would've been the size of a grain of sand.

Mido looked at Ian a bit weirdly. "I remember him, but wasn't he a bit…crazy? I thought humans were just a myth, something we told ki-"

Ian cut him off, saying, "No, they're real. In fact, my da-"

"He's right," Katie almost whimpered out, "I'm a human…"

Ian gave what might've been a smirk (would he have been born without a beak) to Mido.

Mido looked a bit embarrassed. "Oh, well, I just thought they were a myth…"

I sighed inwardly, as one part of my brain was working on getting the words out of my mouth and the other part was taking cover for an expected outburst. The words, though somewhat quiet, did eventually come out.

"Okay, at the risk of being thrown out, I'm admitting to being human as well."

Mido gave me a strange look before responding, "I don't care what you are, really; it doesn't really matter. You could be a Mamoswine in a Sproink's costume and I would still like you the same."

Ian, too, gave me a strange look. "I won't throw you out because of that. I just think it's kind of interesting that you're a human, nothing more," he said, waving a clawed wing as if dismissing the notion.

In mock frustration, I threw my hands up. "Well, if I'd known you'd be this good of friends, I would've told you this ages ago!"

Amanda force-fed me a knuckle-sandwich before stating the fact she was human too. Brent hesitated slightly before revealing that he was human as well. Following the tide, I began telling them of the powers I'd developed, and the conversation with the Lugia, Vazir. Amanda then told us of her powers as well, that she'd discovered a few nights prior: her ability to control the winds.

To be honest, that was about all that we did before retiring for the night, as it had gotten rather late. Later that night, however, I was awoken by a knock at the door. Opeining it, I saw nobody immediately, then a voice spoke:

"Great, it really is you guys!"

I looked down, somewhat surprised to see Tim the Electrike on our front doorstep.

"What are you doing here, it's like…dark 'o clock in the morning or something…"

"Look, I need your help."

Grabbing my bone, I followed him out the door. I lifted my skull while I rubbed my eyes. The look on Tim's face of me removing my skull was akin to the expression of someone who had just seen the underside of a Diglett.

Curious, I asked him a question. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

He stared at me a moment more before shaking his head, as if clearing his mind of some dream. "Nothing," he said, "just never seen a Cubone without a skull before."

Putting the skull back on, I replied. "Guess today is your lucky day, or something to that effect."

Looking back at me, he said, "man, you're weird."

"Weird, or used to doing things in my own fashion perhaps?"

This confused him even more. Poor guy.

"Anyway," I continued, "what did you need me for?"

"Oh, yeah, right. Anyway, my friend, Serena – you've met her before, right? – anyway, she's been acting all strange recently. Considering you two are the same type and all, I figured you could help me figure out what was wrong."

Eventually, we reached Serena the Vibrava. She kept muttering to herself something about "it's not working" or something, and I honestly couldn't make heads or tails of it. I looked her over, trying to ask her questions. All she did was mutter more to herself. A few attempts at conversation, and I located the source of all this, and oh_ boy_ was I upset.

"Are you kidding me?" I asked no one in particular as the realization occurred.

The Vibrava had red eyes.

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Sorry for yet another outrageously short chapter, I just can't do it with this headache and stuff.

Anyway, so next is Reviewer's Corner time. This time, we got a few people to reply to.

pokemonkatia168757: _I don't mind the short chapters. Long or short, it doesn't matter. Awesome chapter. It looks to me like the team is going to find out they are humans. Well, I'll see next chapter probably. Very nice! Thank you for the amazing work. :-)  
_Thank you, thank you, and another thank you. Also, you're right, they did find out. I was originally considering having Ian ponder it, and having them NOT find out, but then Ian suprising them later with an "I-knew-it-all-along"-type thing, but this works better in my mind. Also, I think _I_ should be the one thanking_ you_. :)

IHazBazooka50: _Well written! I like the way it looks, and I can't wait to see more!  
_Good to see more fans of mine! :D

TheMezzerino: _Oooooohhhhhh someones been found out (dun dun dun) Doing well, I'm enjoying it c:  
_Man, I thought you went over a cliff or something, because you just stopped doing this story, but you're back. Also, yeah, you're right, they got found. Glad you're enjoying this.

StrawberryFurret: I _ate a mushroom. I think I'm dead .3.  
_I have no idea what to make of this, so…thanks for your concern or something?

Oh, and one more bit of interesting trivia before I go: this version of the story actually is different than the one in my head. A few examples: Ian and Mido find out the 4 humans are humans at separate times AND before the beach, the original conversation with Vazir is shorter than the version in my head, the 2nd visit to the "Spaghetti Bowl" didn't even occur in the original, Jacob finds his powers earlier, and Brent was originally a different character altogether.

Funny story, Brent was originally named Braden, and was a tough-like Tropius. Then, he was Brandon, the mischief-making Tyrunt. Eventually, he became the somewhat timid Brent we all know and love today.

(PS, Brent and Jacob are my 2 favorite characters in Team Terra.)

With that aside, I should really be getting some decongestants for my nose, or at least some cold medicine or something. So, you folks all have a lovely day (because I'm certainly not) and I'll see you in the next chapter. And, also if you have questions for me, the team members, or just want to give me moral support, go ahead and leave me a review. It'll at least give me something to read while I'm bed-ridden.

:( Darn colds.

- JacobDaGun


	14. Chapter 14 - Game Changer

Sorry for the delay on this one. I was writing, then my computer crashed and the progress I had…let's just say I hadn't saved yet. :( But, here we are again, and this time I decided, since the last few chapters have been very short, that this time I'd make an extra-long chapter, _just _for you guys! :D Anywho, let's do this!

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The Shroud of Darkness**

_Chapter 14 – Game Changer_

I thought a bit more, considering if maybe it wasn't just the lenses, but nope, they truly were red. Thinking quickly, I went back to Tim, who was still a bit curious about my outburst earlier. I grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him to emphasize my point.

"We gotta go, Tim, we gotta GO!"

Suddenly, Serena, or rather the darkling inside her suddenly shouted "At last!". I had no idea what this meant, but whatever it meant, it certainly wasn't good for us. We ran behind a nearby shrub, and I poked my head out behind the bush, and what I saw next sent chills up my spine. The poor Vibrava was being distorted or something. Was this evolution, or was this some perverted form of it? No, this didn't seem right…what was…

GRWOOAR!

The poor Vibrava, it seemed, had turned into a Flygon, albeit in a rather painful fashion.

"Hmm," said the Darkling inside Serena in a very masculine voice, "now I need to start on getting rid of the local populous…let's start with that miserable little Electrike, or perhaps that Cubone that seemed so interested in this…"

Had I had any hair, it would've been on end. I whispered in a shaky voice to Tim, "Tim, I need you to go quietly back to our team base, and get everyone else. Don't let the Darkling see you."

He obeyed without question, nor qualm. He ran off into the night…and dang that little guy had quite the pair of legs. Well, looks like it was time to do my job: Distraction until the others showed up. Otherwise, he could've laid waste to the some of the town. Hesitantly, I stepped out from behind the bush.

"Ah," spoke the dark creature, "it's YOU. Perhaps an appetizer to whet my tastes?"

"Nope, here to stop you," I corrected.

I managed a Dig right before a beam of what looked like pure darkness shot right at the spot where I was a few minutes prior. Thinking quickly, I devised a plan.

The Darkling, on the other hand, flew up into the air, searching for me. I popped up more-or-less behind him, spinning sharp stones around me, like some kind of strange flower. I shot them at the Darkling in rapid succession. This, however, only succeeded in making the Darkling madder. He Slammed into me before flying over to where I was and batting me again, this time with a Dragon Tail. He followed up with a Swift while I was still airborne before slamming me with a Giga Impact, sending me careening into the unforgiving earth. He shot another one of those dark beams struck me after that, and I was sent flying again with an Earth Power.

This guy meant business, and I was getting mauled.

The Darkling practically shouted at me as he came in for what looked like a Ice Punch, screaming "Why don't you just die already?"

The blow never landed. Amanda hand picked just the opportune moment to show up, and I fell softly to the ground…somehow. Through bleary eyes, I saw her hitting the Darkling somehow. I saw faint disturbances in the air, realizing she was manipulating the winds somehow. I realized it was probably something similar to how I could manipulate the earth…but how was she?

Ian soon joined the fray, apparently gliding on Amanda's wind. He launched a Dragon Claw at the Darkling, causing him to lose altitude. Suddenly, the Darkling lashed out, and I heard a vicious snap. Ian fell to the ground instantly, his wing apparently had been completely busted. It was about then that Amanda somehow picked up Mido, Katie, and Brent in her gale and sent them flying towards the dragon. An Energy Ball, Aqua Tail, and Dragonbreath later, the Darkling was practically shot out of Serena.

Amanda held no mercy for the dark creature, and it was immediately vanquished. Serena, who had shrunk down to her proper form and size, flew over to me, positively flabbergasted by what she was seeing.

"What happened?" she said.

That's about when I blacked out.

**:::::::::::::::**

The next morning, I awoke in the infirmary, apparently busted up pretty badly. I can see how, seeing as I took 6 heavy blows in succession. Struggling slightly, I got out of the bed, grabbed my bone, and used it to aid me in walking, as one of my legs was in a bit of pain. The doctor about fainted when he saw me walking out the door.

"Jacob, wait, you're not completely healed!"

I turned around and simply told him, "thanks for the treatment, but I've got things to do," and continued out the door.

**:::::::::::::::**

Our oven is interesting in its own right, I suppose. That is, if you could even call it an oven. Truthfully, it looks more like a boiler, but its okay. At least it cooks well. It usually runs on wood, but Amanda was doing nothing that day, so…well, you can imagine how we ran it that day. We were making a dinner for Ian, who as we all knew, had a broken wing. He was getting released today, so we wanted to make his homecoming special. In the meantime, Mido and Brent had been running errands and Katie had been keeping Ian company.

Now, the cookie recipe, I had actually found, and it called for some berry powder, which took me and Amanda a little bit to procure from our berry stores. As we soon would discover, however, is that I'm not the best baker. I pulled the stone out with the cookies on them to check on them, and frowned. The cookies had been in there for a little longer than usual, plus that fire Amanda was making was fairly hot, but these looked somewhat…deflated. Amanda walked over to me as I was checking the cookies. I scraped one off the stone to see if it was ready…and it sagged of all things.

"Well," Amanda joked, "they're great pancakes, but as far as cookies go…uh…"

"…they're very unique?" I finished.

"Yeah, that."

I sighed and put the "pancake" back into its spot on the stone. "What did I do wrong?" I asked nobody in particular.

"Do we need to bake it for longer?"

"No, they've actually been in for a bit too long, but they haven't cooked at all, it feels like."

Amanda frowned. "Well, we put in enough sugar and flour, right?"

"Yeah, enough to make them puff."

"Puff?"

"Yeah, I was trying to make the cookies light and fluffy, but now they're undercooked and floppy."

Amanda stared at the cookies for a while. "…that might explain why they ended up like this, I thought we were making thin, crispy cookies."

"Pardon?"

"Sorry, I didn't realize…but at least they're kind of like cookies…"

"I don't know…let's try baking them longer and see what that does."

Turns out, our miscommunication had produced a kind of cookie neither of us wanted, but were happy nonetheless to get.

"Who knew we'd get soft, chewy cookies by mixing up a recipe?" Amanda said.

I shrugged my shoulders. "At least they're not pancakes anymore."

We both sighed in remembrance. Then, I spoke.

"So, you ready to make the cake now?"

**:::::::::::::::**

It was Katie who first walked in, much before the others were due to return. I saw her out of the corner of my eye, but was a bit to preoccupied by the ruins of our cake to pay much attention. I was currently trying to pull the heavy pan out of the oven, which was currently shooting seeds everywhere. Amanda, on the other hand, was trying to get batter off her tail. Katie (according to what she's told me) stopped as soon as she saw the scene before her, paused, and turned right back. Yeah…my baking skills leave much to be desired, but I can cook decently.

After Amanda had managed to get the gunk off her, and I managed to get our erupting cake on a slab of rock, she stared at me with a bit of anger in her eyes.

"Next time, _I'm_ doing the baking."

I wholeheartedly agreed with that statement. We began preparations anew, and this time, I just let her do the mixing and baking. I was delegated to other foods, such as the salad, the stew, and the home-made Poffins.

Turns out, Amanda was great with the cake. She had even managed to give it layers with everyone's favorite berries; there was Corrn for Amanda, Wepear for me, Pamtre for Mido, Durin for Ian, Mago for Brent, and Sitrus for Katie. It also had a delicious-looking frosting made from a Leppa-Persim mixture. Man, what Amanda can do with a berry. Even gave me a caramelized Wepear once, and it was succulent to the last bite. Anyway, so we got everything set up in not too long after Amanda took charge. A few minutes later, we heard some voices outside the house, which we near immediately pegged as Ian and Mido having some form of conversation.

"Well, they were out of it, so I got this instead," we heard Mido say.

"That's all right, since that was actually what I was meaning for, but wasn't too sure if they had it or not," Ian said.

"Oh, so no harm done?"

"Nope."

They walked in about then, and oh BOY was Ian surprised. Brent knew of this, and it was his job to keep Mido busy while we got everything ready, but apparently Katie had already told Mido about it when Ian was away, so he was expecting something. Ian, however, was completely in the dark about this, and…ah man I wished that we'd had a video camera then; his reaction told volumes.

"Amanda, Jacob, did…did you guys do all this?" Ian asked.

"No," Amanda replied, "a Greninja came in and brought all this stuff, of course we made it all."

We all got down and started on the meal, complimenting the chef(s) on their work. I was next to Katie, who leaned over and asked, "So, what was the deal with the cake? Is it alright to eat?"

"That cake had some seeds in it that exploded apparently, so it's gone."

"How'd that happen?"

"Turns out I'm awful at baking. So, that cake there is safe to eat, since Amanda cooked it up."

"Ah."

The meal continued on with lighthearted conversation here and there. The cake was delicious, and the cookies did taste a bit burnt, but I enjoyed them anyway.

**:::::::::::::::**

The next day, we were surprised with a mission. Apparently, another team, one Team Snap, had gone adventuring down in the Spaghetti Bowl (really, again?) and gotten themselves trapped. We were needed to go help them. We were thinking of leaving Ian behind, since he'd been recently injured, but he stopped us from leaving him behind, insisting we take him along. None of us could argue with that, so we shoved off for the Spaghetti Bowl…again.

One day-and-a-half trek later, and we were once again at the dreaded tunnels. I wasn't too happy, but what were you going to do? Ian thought for a bit before stating that it would be best for us to split into 2 groups to better tackle the caves. Since the 2 paths did meet together eventually, we'd quickly sweep those two paths before meeting up again.

"Jacob, I'm putting you and Amanda together, and you guys take Brent with you, since he's not been here too long. Mido and I will take Katie with us. Everyone okay with this?"

I raised my hand, "I'm not oka-"

"Great, let's go."

I stood there for a second, my arm still poised in mid-air. Amanda grabbed my arm and dragged me along. "You heard him, let's go."

Brent began getting a little disoriented from all the twisty, turning corridors we were in. "Who built this place? They need to be slapped!"

Amanda sighed, "my sentiments exactly."

**:::::::::::::::**

A few wrong turns later, and we were approached by a startled Katie, who was out of breath and trying to say something. "Mido…Ian…Crobat…red…help…"

I didn't need to hear anything else. Amanda was looking at Katie, making sure she was okay, and Brent was trying to decipher what she had just said. I, on the other hand, ran off towards where Katie had come from.

Before this had happened, Ian, Mido, and Katie were…actually…

(voices are heard in the background. "You wanna tell this part?" "Uh…sure, what do I do?" "You just talk into this.")

…Hello?

(in the background, "Yep, like that.")

Okay, so we were at…there right. So the 3 of us had bumped into a Pokémon along the way, who told us to get out. I kept going, though Ian was trying to figure out what was going on. When we got to the point where we were supposed to meet up, a Golbat came out of nowhere and slammed himself into Katie. I found out then that he was a Darkling, and so I Pounded him. Then, Pokémon with Darklings inside started streaming out of the tunnel opposite. The leader was a Crobat, from what I could tell. Ian basically told me to take Katie and to try to find the others, while he bought us time. I refused, since he was injured, but he was adamant, and I knew better than to argue with him. Me and Katie took off, but I stayed back to check and make sure Ian was okay. He hit them with an Ancient Power, which grounded some of the Zubats in the area, but he was swiftly taken care of by the remaining Pokémon.

"No!" I cried as he was struck heavily by a Rock Tomb. The leader Crobat flew over to him and was goading him. I flew into battle and struck the Pokémon with a Leaf Blade. I had evolved at that point, but I was paying little attention to that.

(In the background, "Is that good?" "Yep. That was good." "Okay, here's the ring-thingy back." "It's a recorder." "Whatever, human inventions are strangely named anyway.")

Okay, so that's about when I found Mido, which took my mind a brief moment to recognize as him. I saw a Geodude trying to sneak up behind him, but I slammed into him with my bone, and a Darkling popped out. I simply picked up the Darkling by the tail and swung him around into a wall.

Mido noticed me, but kept his attention on the Crobat.

The Crobat then spoke in a raspy voice, "What makes YOU so sure you can defeat me?"

Mido shrugged before doing something that should've had some cool sound effect with it, but didn't.

He pulled out what I swear, had I not known better, was a Lightsaber.

"My father taught me this technique, looks like it's time to use it," he stated before darting forward.

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Sorry for the huge delay, busy week, and I wanted this to be extra long.

Also, if it feels like the story kind of jumps in ideas a little bit, that's because I wrote that part first before realizing we needed to revisit Serena, who I'd forgotten all about. Also, about that Darkling that handed Jacob's rear to him, quite a combo if I do say so myself.

Also, huzzah for longer chapters! If you guys like these longer chapters, make sure to tell me so I can make more.

So, no reviews this time, since nobody loves me (or so my grandma says), but I don't mind. Like I said, I don't require people to review, but it does make my day, and gives me a little…motivation. And, again, if you want to ask any of the characters, or myself, a question, you are more than welcome to do so. We will answer them honestly, so don't be afraid to ask.

So, as always, have a lovely day, and I'll see you next time.

- JacobDaGun


	15. Chapter 15 - Corn on the Cob

You guys really do make my day. Just saying. Also, anyone catch the reference in my last chapter? I'll give you a hint: It's near the beginning.

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The Shroud of Darkness**

_Chapter 15 – Corn on the Cob, Corn on the Kabob_

I'll just say this now, but Mido, in that very moment, gained about 10 brownie points. He pulls this secret technique out of nowhere that looks like a lightsaber and just charges headlong into battle? That and he just looked so cool. (Yes, you did.)

Thinking on my feet, I tucked myself into a ball and rolled into the fray, popping out to slam some people with my bone. And then there was the jet of water that came out of nowhere that nearly shucked me clean outta my skull. I turned towards the source of the water, expecting to see Katie, but instead saw a Totodile sitting there, looking determined.

"Don't worry," he cried, "I've got it all under control!"

Was this the one we were meant to save? I'll give him credit where it's due, he had little-to-no knowledge of what "Fear" meant. Of course, then I saw him trying to bite off the backside of a Geodude, who didn't look too happy, and realized he likely had little-to-no knowledge of, well anything really. That was about when I saw his companion come charging in, a Tyrunt that seemed didn't seem too concerned for his own safety. Seeing the back of the pack safely (relatively speaking) in the hands of these two, I hopped on some heads to get back to Mido, who was currently trying to fend off a Timburr with his saber. I checked him, covering his back. Of course, in the commotion, I'd forgotten the Crobat. He had been sticking to the shadows for most of the battle, and then darted out suddenly in a vicious Wing Attack/Steel Wing combo. Naturally, I decided to…ground him. I summoned some rocks to come up and latch onto his wings, which incapacitated him…for the moment.

Eventually, Amanda came charging in, practically dragging Brent with her and holding Katie on her back. Dropping the unconscious Piplup, she dived into the fray with a vigor I'd not yet seen. Surveying the remaining Darklings, I noticed an out-of-place rock pile, which I sidled over to so I could use the stones as ammo. After using a small number of them, however, I discovered Ian lying beneath all the stones.

"Ian? I know you're supposed to be taking it easy, but I can think of much comfortable places to take a nap!"

Ian gave a light chuckle before asking me to get him up.

Brent, apparently not fond of this particular battle, saw me and decided to help take care of our injured friend. We got Ian and Katie to a safe spot away from the fighting and Brent began bandaging up Ian in a rather speedy manner, which quite surprised me. I went ahead and summoned a short wall of stone to shield us from any stray attacks, and not a moment too soon either, as Amanda sent some poor Ratatta and Sandshrews flying over to our spot, and knocked the Darklings clean out of them. And then, of course, Amanda came over and they all disappeared from sheer terror. I didn't blame them. A furious Charmander charging point blank at me, spouting angry French, would probably be enough to wet myself too. Upon getting over to our area, however, I was swept from my feet as Amanda dragged me back to the fray and practically tossed me in. I wasn't too happy with the way she man-handled me, but I got around to smacking a few things with a bone. I'd describe more of the battle, but it was basically just me smacking things, getting smacked back, and bowling over things with boulders. That was basically it.

After the remaining darklings had fled, the 2 other Pokemon, or Team Snap as I should call them, came over to us.

"Thank you," panted the Tyrunt, "I dunno what we woulda done if you hadn't shown up when you did!"

I felt a slight tug at something, but ignored it. The Tyrunt, however, saw something.

"Streke! Don't do that!" he cried.

I turned around, surprised to see another skulled figure behind me, but after a bit more looking, I saw that it was not, in fact, a Cubone, but the Totodile wearing a skull…where did he get that skull from? Feeling a bit out of place, I patted my head searching for my skull, and did not find it. Sighing inwardly, I pulled the skull off the grinning Totodile, now known as Streke, and replaced on my head.

"That li'l bit o' work there fits pretty well, dun it?" he said with a heavy accent.

Sighing, the Tyrunt walked over to Streke, "You don't just take stuff from othe-"

"Ach, I know that, Luke!"

I piped in then, "Hey, I'm just glad you two are alright."

**:::::::::::::::**

"So, Mido," I started, "where did you learn how to do that?"

"Do what?" he replied.

"That…that sword thingy!"

"Ah, that. My father taught me it as a parting gift before I left to make a rescue team with Ian. He said he learned it from a friend, who I've never met. Tell you the truth, I don't even remember where my dad's friend came from…or did he mention that ever?"

"Do you think I could learn to do that?"

Mido pondered the implications for a second before responding, "perhaps, but I might be able to teach you something too."

As soon as we got out, Luke and Streke thanked us, then practically ran off. A long hike ahead of us, we set off.

**:::::::::::::::**

Along the way back, Ian was keeping himself entertained by picking my brains. Apparently the prospect of me coming from elsewhere in the universe piqued his interest, and so he was asking me about things from here, asking if they were in our world.

"So, do you recognize this flower over here at all?"

"Well, we did pass by it a couple of times on our treks to and from here, so I do re-"

"Oh, you know what I mean!"

"Well, to tell you the truth, it looks a bit like a Lupine flower to me."

"Th…that's actually what we call it too. Any other's you've seen here?"

"I saw something that looked like a Tulip a bit back."

"Those were."

Katie piped in then, "Hey, we used to have Tulips in our garden!"

I looked back in mild surprise, as we had Tulips in the garden at our home too, now that she mentioned it.

"I'll bet you didn't have any rose bushes."

"No, we did! Don't you remember?"

I blinked in utter confusion, as she was…what was she talking about? "Uh…"

"C'mon, Jake, you remember us having all those flowers in our flower bed."

"…wait, 'us'?"

"Ye…don't you remember? Or, well, maybe I'm talking to the wrong person…"

I was absolutely confused at this point.

"Uh…"

"Eh, nevermind, I might just be thinking crazy thoughts to myself at this point."

Shrugging, I turned back to endure more of Ian's questions. I got a bit bored of it after a while, so…

"Here," I said, grabbing Brent, "talk to him!"

Brent looked at me with a bit of a worried expression, but I wanted to talk more with Katie on what she was talking about earlier. However, no matter how much I pestered her, she wouldn't speak a peep.

Amanda yanked on my skull and whispered, "I wouldn't bother her."

Discovery would have to wait, I suppose.

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Sorry about this chapter, I know it's extremely short, but…schoolwork and all, y'know?

Anyway, off to Reviewer's Corner!

pokemonkatia168757: _Awesome chapter! Sorry, didn't notice the last chapter was up. Glad you are better, and this story is amazing! Thank you!  
_I'm glad I'm better too! :) It's okay about the last chapter thing, the way I did it was kind of awkward as well, so I bear no resentment.

TheMezzerino: _Your grandma is wrong, everyone who reviews loves you. This story is purely amazing, it has earned my favourite c:  
_My grandma usually says it with a smile, so I don't think she's too serious. Also, is my writing is really that good? Huh, learn something new every day.

StrawberryFurret: _Do what I do, Save every line or so.__The same thing happened to my friend, who was writing, saved, and found out by saving, it didn't save. HEY HEY HEY! Mega Furret!  
_That's a good idea, I should totally do that. But…what do you mean by the ending there, is that a suggestion or something? …Yeah, I rarely know what to make of your reviews, but glad you guys are enjoying it nonetheless! :)

I'm thinking of doing some kind of special…something for anyone who gets even one of my references. I have no idea what, as of yet, but perhaps I'll let the person who gets it to decide or something, I don't know.

Sorry if I seem a little worked up about people getting my references.

Well, I've got a birthday party to attend to tonight, so I'll see you folks later!

- JacobDaGun


	16. Chapter 16 - Objection!

Before I begin, there's a little bit of backstory to this chapter. To tell you the truth, this chapter wasn't even supposed to be, it just popped into my mind. Plus, we had some time before the next big event, and I hadn't really planned anything for there, so that's why this chapter is now here. I'll try to put everything into one big chapter, but it may not work out that way, so…we'll see…we'll see…

This chapter also has heavy influences from another game. It should be fairly obvious once the chapter gets going, but I figured I should say that now. Also, just a fair bit of warning, this chapter is a bit gory.

Shooting for 2-3k words this time around. Let's go!

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The Shroud of Darkness**

_Chapter 16 – Objection!_

"Cy…Cytros? Is that what it says?"

"No, that's not it, look again, what does thi-"

"Wait, is this…wait...Cytrik…no that's stupid."

"No, you were closer the first time. Just look again and think: What sound does this make?"

"It sounds like your trying to explain this to a child."

"That's generally when we learn these."

"Alright, alright, so…Cy…prum?"

"*sigh* No."

"Ugh, I give up!"

"Jacob, it says "Cyprus", it's not that hard."

"Says the guy who's been using this all his life."

"You just need to put your mind to it. Mido told me you'd learned more than one language once, so why should this be any different?"

"Then, I was just learning new words, basically, not an entirely new alphabet!"

"So you've done it before then, correct?"

"…I…yes, bu-"

"Then this shouldn't be that hard."

"But it is!"

I suppose I should explain this. A while back, Ian had discovered my illiteracy, and had decided to fix it, but he'd forgotten until Brent brought up that he had no idea how to write this language. Dismayed, he began teaching us the basics of writing this language, since they used different characters. Katie, Amanda, and Brent had all caught on quickly to the way the words worked, and had been writing things using the new characters constantly. I, on the other hand, would prove to be a bit more of a challenge.

"Look, just calm down, and try this one."

With a frustrated snort, I yelled, "Ich kannst nich gelernen!"

Ian paused a moment, then spoke, "Well that's…what did you just say?"

"'I can't learn this'."

Ian paused again, thinking deeply, before talking to me again: "Okay, so how about we take a break? You can get us some groceries before the market closes up, can't you?"

"I suppose so…"

"Great, I'll get a list going for you."

**:::::::::::::::**

Soon, I was out of the house with a small pouch of Pokè and a list of things we needed. I quickly made my way to the market and looked at the list.

"Aww…aww man, are you serious?"

He'd written it in the new language, obviously. I turned it over in the vague hopes that there was English on this list somewhere, and to my surprise, there was.

"Sorry to do this, but you need to learn to read this language, even if you never write in it. So, consider this a bit of…homework. Also, don't ask anyone to read you the list, because that's cheating. I'll see if you could see everything when you get back. Good luck!

"(P.S. I had Amanda write this, in case you were wondering.)"

I cursed my bad luck before entering the marketplace.

Now, the marketplace is usually a bustling place, filled with all sorts of Pokémon looking for the things they need. They would sometimes come with their own wares, other times they were buying things. It was a lively place, almost always filled with the chatter of Pokémon arguing over things, heckling over prices, chatting with friends and foes alike, and even music on rare occasion. But, since it was rather late, about Dusk 6:20 (That's how they tell time, Dusk being PM and Dawn being AM.), so not many were around. I concentrated hard on the list, trying to read it.

"Chori? What's a Chori?"

Figuring the owner of the marketplace, a somewhat pudgy Ambipom named Bob, would know what a Chori was, I came up to him and asked.

"Chori? What in the blazes are you talking about?"

Oh, I should also mention his chronic sourness. He was always grouchy.

"Chori, you know, this," I said, showing him the list.

"…Lad, this says 'Cheri'."

"Oh, sorry. I'm new to this form of writing, so I can't read it properly."

He gave me the most confused look.

"…alright, never mind," I said quickly, "I'll just get the stuff I need then."

"'lrighty, just don't bother me with more nonsense, ya hear?"

"Understood, sir."

As I walked off, I heard him mumbling something about illiteracy, but I don't know what.

**:::::::::::::::**

After looking over the list, several more times, I managed to figure out what they might've said. Where it said "Picha", I figured it either said "Pecha" or "Pichu", so I went with the former. It took a while, nearly an hour, but I did it. By the time I was done, the sun had set and the moon was out. Bob was happy to see me leave, as he was closing up the market for the night and wanted me out. Engrossed in making sure I'd not forgotten anything, I managed to take a wrong turn and subsequently got lost.

It was then that I heard a shrill scream breaking the silence of the night.

I spun around, ready for anything, and unwittingly dropping the list. After figuring nothing was wrong, I carried on, not really knowing where I was when I started seeing some familiar buildings, the ones I'd passed as I'd gotten lost and heard that scream…wherever that came from. Rounding the corner, I saw something I would not soon forget.

The body of a dead Munna.

A Farfetch'd stood nearby, yelling at me for some reason. I stood stock still, eyes locked on the dead Munna. I backed away, and then I ran back down the way I figured was home. It was about Dusk 7:10 then.

**:::::::::::::::**

When I re-entered our team base, I about slammed the door behind me.

"Jacob," Ian called out, "there you are! Wondered what happened to you. Did you get everything?"

"Uh," I replied, "I think so?"

"Well, bring them in, I'll be the judge of that."

Taking them into the kitchen area, Mido looked at me rubbing sweat off my head and commented, "What happened to you, it looks as if you've seen a ghost!"

I shook my head, "No, not a ghost, it was a…a b-body."

Mido's eyes widened. "What did you say?" he asked, enunciating the space in between the words.

"I saw a dead body of a Munna when I was coming back. I got lost because I was double-checking the list, and I heard a scream, which must've been the Munna, and I found her dead body!"

"Ah, well, it's alright," Ian said, "and it looks like you got pr...wait, did you say that you found a dead Munna?"

"Yeah, I did!" I replied.

The smile vanished from Ian's face. "W-was the Munna smaller than usual?"

"I…I don't know, but it was about as big as me."

Mido clapped a claw to his mouth then, his eyes as wide as saucers. "You don't think…"

Ian replied, "I do think, but we don't know…"

"Might just be another Munna…"

"Then again, there's not many around here…"

"Wait," I butted in, "what's going on?"

Ian spun around, "was she wearing a shawl?"

"She? I didn't know if it was a she or not, bu…yes she did."

Ian stood there for a second, absolutely flabberghasted.

"…T-that means…that means that…someone's killed Molly…"

As if on cue, someone started banging on the door.

"I'll get it!" called Katie.

I stood there for a minute, not knowing what to think.

Mido spoke then, "but who would do such a thing, she was such a nice girl!"

Katie came downstairs then, her eyes speaking volumes.

"Katie," I said, "what is it?"

She remained silent for a bit before responding, "It's the town guard, they're looking for…for you, Jake."

Troubled, I pressed further, asking "What did they want?"

"I don't know, I didn't ask."

Troubled still, I went upstairs. In our entryway was a Blastoise with his arms folded across his chest, an Arcanine who looked as if he'd never learned to smile, and a Zangoose with an interesting looking hat and coat.

"There he is!" cried the Blastoise.

I held my hands up, not knowing what else to do in a situation like this. "What did I do wrong?"

The Arcanine stepped forward then and said, "Sir, you are under arrest for the murder of Molly Undella. Please come quietly, and we'll ensure you to a speedy trial."

Time stopped as the words rang in my head like that of an empty room. I staggered a bit, my vision darkening slightly. No words could describe what I felt then, and almost mechanically I walked over to the 3 men, er Pokémon, in the doorway.

Last thing I really remember was everyone coming out of the door as they hauled me off, watching a friend get taken to court for a crime he didn't commit.

**:::::::::::::::**

{Author's Note: I'm really tempted to end it here, but let's keep going.}

The next morning, I awoke in a stone room with only one door in the iron bars. In other words, I woke up in a jail cell. I shook my head, trying to clear it of the fog in my head. Memories of last night surfaced, and as I recalled them, the shock of last night kicked back in. In a stupor, I sat on the cot in there, utterly shocked. I sat there for many long minutes, perhaps even hours, just not moving and mulling over the fact that I would probably be spending several years in this very cell. An idea popped to mind for me to use my Geo-kinesis to bust out, but my common sense soon kicked in, saying "Look, even if you got out, then what? The guard will just catch up to me again, and then the case will be even more difficult. Plus, then the secret about my power's out…then it's just a big nightmare." I slumped down, grasping for my bone for comfort, but I realized I didn't have it. The guard must've taken it when I was brought in, to prevent me from getting out.

Eventually, after what was likely minutes, but seemed like hours, a Meinshao came over to my cell and spoke, "Looks like someone got caught, didn't they?"

I said nothing.

"Heh, I guess even you motherless beasts can be violent too."

Again, I said nothing.

"Well, your trial's due to start this afternoon. Good luck getting out of this one. With all the evidence they have, they're bound to get a Guilty statement on you."

"…I'm getting a trial?"

"Yeah, but not like you murderers deserve one. Guess I'd better escort you to the visitor's room, got some visitors for ya."

Wordlessly, I stood up and allowed myself to be taken where ever this guy wanted to take me. Eventually, we reached a room filled with several stalls. I was escorted to one. Inside, there was a stool, and a built-in desk that stood underneath a pane of steel-ribbed glass separating me from the other side. The other side had the same setup as this room. After a few seconds, the door on the other side was opened and Katie dashed over to the stool. Had the glass been anything but steel-reinforced, she likely would've broken through it.

"JAKE!"

"Katie?"

"Jake, you're all right! I thought they'd hurt you or something…are you alright?"

"Uh," I chuckled nervously, "a bit on edge, but fine nonetheless."

"I hear you're getting a trial!"

"The guy who escorted me here was saying the same thing. Do you know who I'm getting for a lawyer?"

"He says his name is Goldbrook, but I'm not too sure on the rest of the details. He's waiting to talk to you as well."

"Ah, is he good at all?"

"I…well, he's kind of…yeah. Hey, what's that you're wearing?"

"Wearing?"

"Yeah, that thing around your wrist!"

I checked my wrist and saw some kind of bracelet. Inscribed on it were some characters of some kind.

"Uh…I wasn't even aware that I was wearing it."

"It says…0017849116…what does that mean?"

"No clue."

"Well, I just wanted to…" I saw tears begin to well up in her eyes, "I just don't want you to end up in here forever!"

"Hey…hey…it's alright, I'm sure I'll be fine."

"Wha, *sniff*, what makes you say that?"

"Remember, I didn't do it. That being said, I don't think I'll get sentenced to life either if I am found guilty either. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"But you're NOT going to be fine! This is…this isn't fair!"

Was she really that concerned for me? Wow.

Outside I heard the Meinshao state, "Alright, ma'am, time's a-wasting, the lawyer has yet to even talk to him and we only have so much time. Chop chop, missy!"

Sniffling still, she got off the stool and looked at me through tear-filled eyes. "You'd better not do anything dumb, or you're staying, and I don't think I could handle that!"

She left, and within seconds another occupant was in the stool. It was a Braviary in a brown vest and top hat, who I assumed to be Goldbrook.

"Hello, uh, sir. Are you my lawyer?" I asked hesitantly.

"Ah, why of course, my young friend. Attorney Mason R. Goldbrook, at your service."

I was a bit taken back by his demeanor.

"So, I've heard you murdered some poor soul, am I correct?"

Oh…it was one of these kinds of people.

"Well, what they're saying and what actually happened are two different things.

"Ah, just the answer I was looking for, but not to worry, my lad, for I will defend you 'till the end, no matter if you're guilty or not, and a Goldbrook never lies!"

"Great."

"So, I have a few things to tell you first, then we can begin questions. So I assume you've heard of the crime then?"

"Uh, no, I haven't been told anything. I just barely learned I'm even getting a trial."

"Well, then, allow me to enlighten you! At about Dusk 7:05, Molly Undella was alerted to a threat, and screamed in terror. Her pursuer followed her for a frantic 5-minute chase before killing her with a large stone. We also have a witness of this terrible event, one Carter Penon. Is this a satisfactory explanation?"

"I suppose."

"Great, now tell me, where were you yesterday at Dusk 7:05?"

"Me? I was walking back from the market, but had gotten lost."

"And why was that, my young friend?"

"You can just call me Jacob."

"That I will, lad."

"Would yo…never mind. Anyway, I'm absolutely horrid at reading this language here, so I was double-checking over the list to make sure that I hadn't forgotten anything. That's when I got lost."

"Where were you at this time? Show me on this map here!"

"This map?"

"Yes, this one," he said before pulling a map out of his vest…exactly how he fit that in there, I'll never know.

"Hmm, I was a bit lost, but I believe I was around here," I said, pointing to a spot near the market.

"And what happened then?"

"I heard this scream from out of nowhere that startled me so bad I nearly jumped out of my own skin."

"Did you have a list on you?"

"I did, why?"

"Investigation found a list near the killing. You say you heard this at Dusk 7:05?"

"Yes, I did. What did the list have on it?"

"Common grocery items. Although, there seemed to be some kind of strange writing on the back that we could not decipher. We assume this to be a secret code of some kind. Did you see that on your list?"

"Oh, that…yeah. That's the kind of writing I'm used to, so when my teammate Ian wrote up the list, he put that on the back."

"And what does it say, or do you recall?"

"See, he's trying to teach me to write with this new language, a task I'm doing poorly in, and he put that on the back when he wrote the list. It basically said 'this is a test to help you learn the language better, since you're struggling so much. Don't ask anyone what it says on the front, do it yourself!'"

"So you are illiterate?"

"No, just illiterate with this kind of writing."

"Perhaps you could show me the writing you usually use?" he said, pushing a piece of paper and pencil into the slot below the window.

"Sure, what do you want me to write?"

"Just write something like 'I am the defendant, and my attorney is Mr. Goldbrook', if you so desire!"

"Sure, I'll do that."

I wrote down the phrase in English and passed the paper and pencil back to him.

"Ah, yes, this is the kind of writing they discovered on the list."

"Alright, anything else?"

"Are you becoming fatigued, my boy?"

"No, I'm okay to sit here and do this all day, but I was just thinking about the trial starting soon and all."

"Ah, nonsense, the trial does not start for another 3 hours!"

"Oh."

"Shall we continue?"

"Sure."

"Perhaps you could tell me what you saw at the crime scene?"

"The wha…oh right, where the Munna died. Well, it was dark, so I didn't see much. I could see her lying on the ground, a shawl lying on the ground, and a Farfetch'd yelling at me from across the way."

The Braviary's eyes widened then, "My boy, did you say you saw the Farfetch'd there already?"

"Yes, I did, why?"

"Are you absolutely positive that you saw this?"

"Why would I have any reason to lie to you?"

"My boy, that Farfetch'd is the witness, Carter Penon!"

I jumped back in surprise. "Wait, that means the Farfetch'd was already there, so does that make him part of the crime?"

"Ah, my boy, do you know nothing? This fact alone is useless without evidence!"

"Oh…"

"Not to worry, I shall find the evidence necessary to warrant this claim!"

"Thanks…"

"I believe this makes an end of my questions for now, but have you any for me?"

"Uh, 2 really. First off, what was the Munna doing before she was murdered?"

"She had apparently been bringing home some kind of parcel. Police have been investigating the contents, but nothing seems to have been disturbed."

"…was that it?"

"Of course."

"Alright, just one last question."

"What is it, my lad?"

"…do you think I'm innocent?"

"I believe one is only guilty once proven guilty, not before."

A small ray of hope gleamed in my heart.

"Is this an end to your questioning?"

"Yes."

"Perhaps I might be able to procure more information on what exactly happened that day?"

"Sure."

**:::::::::::::::**

After a long while later, Goldbrook said his goodbyes, and I was escorted back to my cell for the remaining time before the trial.

**::::::::::::::::::::**

_The Trial Begins, Dusk 2:00_

After I was escorted into the lobby before the trial, I looked around for my lawyer. Soon, I saw the vest and hat from across the room, near the doors, and I walked over to him.

"So," I said, "this is it, I guess."

"What is it?" Goldbrook asked.

"This trial."

"Ah, that, I would not worry, as we have truth on our side!"

A quiet voice spoke up behind us then, "Oh, Goldbrook, I never expected to see you here."

I turned around to see the Zangoose from the night before, fedora, trenchcoat and all.

"Bartameous! How good to see you again!" spoke my defense.

"Mason, you know very well we are not friends here," replied the Zangoose in a less-than-friendly voice.

"I say, that is true, however that does not mean we must be hostile towards eachother!"

"Save it for the court. And is the little killer himself?" he said peering around to look at me.

Goldbrook spoke up then, saying, "You know very well that until he's proven guilty, he is innocent."

"Hah, that old saying? You know very well that the evidence tells a different story!"

"Perhaps we'd best settle this in court?"

"Agreed," the Zangoose said simply before walking off.

I stared after him for a minute before asking, "Who was that?"

"An old colleague of mine, one Bartameous Mortimer Goth. He's rather renown for winning cases."

"You mean he treats this like a game of some kind, where the only thing that matters is the win?"

"Ah, he has fallen low, I can see. The world has corrupted him."

A Beedrill stuck his head out of the door then, saying, "Prosecution, defense, we are about to begin, please take your stands."

Sighing, I muttered to myself, "Well, here goes nothing."

**:::::::::::::::**

The judge was an old-looking Slaking, who was very fierce looking, and not at all happy that this had happened.

"Take your stands, gentlemen!" his voice rang from the stand.

Oh boy…this was going to be fun. I was assigned a seat near the front, right next to the Arcanine who helped take me into custody. The Blastoise was standing near the back, by the judge's stand.

"Is the Prosecution ready?"

The Zangoose, Mr. Goth, replied, "Yes, your honor."

Looking at my lawyer, he said, "Is the Defense ready?"

Goldbrook replied, "Yes, your honor."

"Then let us begin the trial of Jacob Cubone, for the murder of Molly Undella!"

Jacob Cubone? That wasn't actually my last name, but considerin-

"The Prosecution calls its first witness, Carter Penon."

Well, Goldbrook, my life is in your hands.

**:::::::::::::::**

As soon as Carter took the stand, Goth asked him for his name and occupation.

"Carter Penon, local good-guy!"

Oh, gawl.

"Your occupation, please?"

"Wasn't that enough? Fine, I'm Carter Penon, member of the Rescue Team Venom."

Venom, eh? Sounds friendly.

"Thank you. Now, Mr. Penon, I would like to ask you to tell nothing but the truth."

"Alright, I think I can manage that!"

The judge spoke then, "Let us hear the witness's testimony on what happened that night."

"With pleasure," responded the duck, with a grin of some kind.

**{{{Witness's Testimony}}}**

"I remember it well, was just last night, wasn't it?

"So, I was out running some errands, when I happened to stumble upon a curious sight.

"Curious, I looked out, and saw a Cubone running by.

"Shortly afterwards, I heard the shriek of a young girl.

"Thinking quickly, I ran towards the source.

"I lost them a few times, but I arrived just to see the Cubone standing over her cold body, a bloodied stone raised in his hand.

"I began yelling at him to stay there so I could catch 'im, but I was too late.

"I tried to follow him, but he was too fast. The only thing he left behind was this grocery list."

**{{{End of Testimony}}}**

"Well," the judge began, "that's quite the story."

"Yes," cried Carter, "it is!"

"Then, I see no further reason to delay."

My heart dropped into my stomach.

"Goldbrook, you may examine the testimony."

Goldbrook spoke then, "Understood, your honor!"

Goldbrook then leaned forward and looked at Carter thoughtfully.

"Mr. Penon, was it?"

"Yeah, what?"

"You say you were running errands, what kind of errands?"

"Well, you know, being in a Rescue Team is a bit demanding, so I was just getting some essentials."

"However, I find one thing that's odd about that."

"What's that?" he asked, looking a bit nervous.

"Perhaps you could explain why you were running to the Market when it was already closed?"

"Oh, that. Y'see, I had left a bit before this had happened, so I was hoping to make it to market before it closed."

"Hmm…I see."

Suave move, sir, but it's not quite enough.

"Then, tell me one thing," he said while pulling out a case file.

"What?"

"You say the defendant dropped this list," he said, holding a piece of paper with visible blood splotches on it, "after he did the deed?"

"Of course!"

"Perhaps this is just my wild imagination, but blood spots like this don't appear when you drop it into pre-existing blood."

"Oh?"

"In fact, judging by the way this look, I'd say it was dropped before the blow."

Carter looked like someone had just punched him. "Wh…what? I…I never, that dropped befo-I mean after the hit!"

The judge shook his head, "No, I'm afraid that's true, blood like that has to be splashed onto the paper for it to appear like that."

"Gah!" cried Carter.

"Perhaps you'd like to tell us more about this?"

"Well…"

"I will allow you to revise your testimony. I'd also advise you not to lie."

"Yes…your honor…"

**{{{Witness's Testimony}}}**

"You see, I saw something drop out of the basket he had.

"I thought it was the list, since it was already soiled.

"But I looked back, and there it was.

"This plump, juicy Cheri Berry!

"I brought it in case I'd need to submit it as evidence."

**{{{End of Testimony}}}**

Brought in as evidence? Are you sure you didn't just bring that for the sake of covering up a lie?

The judge began, "Are you saying you have withheld evidence?"

"Uh…yes?"

"Don't let it happen again."

"Understood."

Goldbrook spoke up then, saying "Your honor, may I examine the testimony once more?"

The judge nodded before saying, "Yes, you may examine the testimony."

"Thank you, your honor."

So…is this how courts work?

"So, Mr. Penon, you mentioned a basket?"

"Yep, a basket. Full of berries."

"This basket, then?"

Surprised, I looked over, and he had the basket of groceries from last night. Since when have we had that?

"Ah, yes."

"Hmm…you see, I see on this bloodied list here that the amount of Cheri Berries he bought was 8. The guard has counted the contents of this basket, and the amount of Cheri Berries contained within, is 8!"

Carter stared at him with wide eyes.

"How do you explain this inconsistency?"

"**Objection!**"

I turned to the source of the yell, and saw Mr. Goth standing there.

"This matter is trivial, and does not need further inspection!"

The judge shook his head. "Objection overruled. Please, continue."

"Thank you, your honor," said Goldbrook, "As to reiterate what we were just talking about, the Cheri Berry then?"

"I…I…maybe there was an extra berry?"

"And how would you know that?"

"And how do you know that there was just an extra?"

"Perhaps, if we asked the one who sold the defendant the berries in the first place?"

The judge nodded, saying "Yes, let's hear of this. Call in the witness!"

Mr. Goth stood there for a moment, then said, "Your honor, there is no need to call in another witness over something so trivial."

Goldbrook shook his head, saying "Yet in both testimonies, he mentioned something falling from the basket. How can we let slide this detail when the witness was so sure of it?"

"Grr…" growled Goth.

"The defense calls in the keeper of the marketplace, Bob Leger."

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

The tension! Holy cow! I'm going to need to separate this into different parts, due to the sheer enormity of this chapter! Holy cow. Don't worry though, with the weekend, I'm going to write the next chapter lickedy-split! Also, how about that attorney? I almost want to include Goldbrook in future chapters, but I'm unsure how to do so. I had a lot of fun with this chapter, and I'm just going to say this now, but I was getting chills myself while writing this! Just shows how good it is! :)

Also, I'm sure the game reference here is blindingly obvious, so I won't say anything. Sorry if the case seems stupid, I'm awful at coming up with court cases.

Well, off to do some Reviewer's Corner!

pokemonkatia168757: _Another awesome chapter! And yes, you do write that good. Interesting chapter, Mido with some kind of power thing, and Katie might have known Jacob. Can't wait to see what comes next! :-) Thanks!  
_Yeah, haven't really gotten around to doing much with Mido's secret ability, but you know, whatever. Also, is it just me, or do your reviews and my thoughts match up perfectly? Seriously, whatever I hope you guys get about a chapter, you always say it…like we're the same person or something…or we've entered the Twilight Zone. But, you know, can't be too sure.

Thank you guys so much for your continued support, you guys are the reason this story is around. And, if you like the longer chapters, be sure to tell me, because I'll admit, I kind of like writing them! :)

Well, that's about it. You guys have a lovely Talk-Like-A-Pirate-Day, today, and I'll see you all next time!

- JacobDaGun


	17. Chapter 17 - Settle it in Court

Next chapter, hooray! Also, one of my reviewers, IHazBazooka50, did bring up an interesting point: Where's the evidence we have? So, here's the current Evidence list.

– Large Stone, the murder weapon.

– Autopsy report.

– Report, which holds the details on the crime.

– Grocery List, which was found at the crime scene.

– Cheri Berry, which allegedly fell out of Jacob's Basket.

– Street Map, which shows the area around the crime scene.

– Sketch of the crime scene.

– Shawl, which Molly was wearing when she died.

– Parcel, which Molly was carrying when she died. The contents seem to have been disturbed.

Anyway, I'll update this list as new evidence comes along. But, without further ado, the next chapter!

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Shroud of Darkness**

_Chapter 17 – Settle it in Court_

The Ambipom on the stand looked rather disgruntled.

Mr. Goldbrook said, "Please state your name and occupation."

"Robert Leger, owner and proprater of Trebel Market," he said.

Uh, didn't he mean 'proprietor'?

Goldbrook continued, "would you tell this court what happened when the defendant entered the Market, and what happened afterwards?"

"Aye."

**:{{{Witness's Testimony}}}:**

"Well, 'e came in and was muttering some'in while lookin' at that list there.

"'e came over and wan'ed to get some…what'd 'e call it, 'Chori' or somethin'?

"Th' list said 'Cheri', though.

"That lad said 'e coul'n't read 'is own list.

"An' 'e kept comin' to me to ask where other gibberish was.

"'Twas after 7 before 'e left. Saw him heading off down the street down by where I 'eard a shriek a few minutes la'er."

**:{{{End of Testimony}}}:**

"As you can see," Goth said after the testimony, "we have evidence of the defendant near the area of the murder from two people."

"Your honor," said Goldbrook, completely ignoring Goth, "may I begin my examination?"

The judge gave the go-ahead.

"Alright, Mr. Leger, do you remember how many of the groceries he purchased?"

"'Course I do. Wouldn't want 'im stealing from me," he replied.

Good to know you hate me, Bob.

"Perhaps you could tell us what he purchased?"

Bob sighed before listing off a list of groceries. "He got 6 Sitrus, 2 jugs of Milk, a dozen Oran, a bread loaf, and 8 Pecha, Rawst, and Cheri."

"And are you certain that he purchased exactly 8 Cheri?"

"Beli've me, I was kee'in an eye on 'im, case 'e tried any funny-business. Saw 'im get 8, 'n only 8."

I looked over at Goth, to see how he'd react to this. He looked somewhat calm, however, I was sure I saw some gouges in the desk that weren't there before.

"This proves nothing," stated the disgruntled Zangoose.

"How so?" queried Goldbrook.

"We have one inconsistency in a testimony, nothing more. This isn't enough to prove one innocent."

"But you forget that we-"

BANG!

Everyone looked at the back of the room where the door had been flung open. Inside the open door, was a Mismagius, panting heavily. The judge looked at the late arrival with an air of displeasure.

"And," he started, "who exactly are you?"

The Mismagius gave a saddened look around the whole court before asking a single question in a frail voice:

"Who took her? Who took my darling little pumpkin away from me?"

Goth didn't look pleased. He slammed a fist onto the desk, saying "Ma'am, this is a court of law."

Goldbrook held up a wing towards Goth, who gave him a dark look.

"Are you, by any chance, Ms. Maria Undella, the deceased's aunt?" he asked.

She nodded.

The judge just looked at her before saying, "you're late."

Wordlessly, the Mismagius took a seat near Carter and a Pelipper that I hadn't noticed before. It's about here that I apologise for not paying more attention to the debate, as Maria then poked my shoulder, prompting me to turn around.

"Are…are you the one who took my little one away from me?"

"I, well, I've been accused of that, yes, but I've never even met your niece before, so I'm not the guy who did it."

She stared at me a moment before nodding slightly, "I believe you. You don't look like a killer, and you're too sweet to do that to anyone."

I sighed, "If only they could see what you can."

Turning back to the debate, Goth had apparently just pulled out the Parcel. "…and we have yet to even see if this has any value to this case whatsoever!"

Goldbrook shook his head, "It might not, but we cannot disregard evidence like that."

"Then what about that berry? Where did it come from?"

The judge struck his gavel onto the desk. "Gentlemen, we are not here to share opinions, we are here to see if he," pointing the gavel towards me, "is innocent or guilty."

"I agree, your honor," said Goth, "perhaps we should see why the parcel was sent."

"What are you saying?" asked Goldbrook.

"We have a witness here who delivered the parcel to the victim before she died. Perhaps she can shed a light on this so you can stop attacking evidence at random points!"

"Mmmh."

"Let us call Dia Strand to the stand."

I watched as a Pelipper soared over my head and make a perfect landing on the stand.

"Your name and occupation?"

The Pelipper got a big grin on her face before responding, "I'm Dia Strand, Mail Deliverer extrordinare, honey!"

Ooh, I like her.

"Please tell us about when you delivered this parcel to Ms. Undella," stated Goth.

"Mm-hmm. That I'll do, sugar."

**{{{ Witness's Testimony }}}**

"Well, I remember this cute little button of a Munna comin' in to pick up a package from her aunt, who's right over there.

"She just gave me the cutest little smile as she grabbed it.

"She also gave me a letter to send back to her Aunt, probably just a 'thank you' note or something.

"I believe that package had gardening supplies in it, if I'm not mistaken."

**{{{ End of Testimony }}}**

Gardening supplies, eh? Never would've guessed.

"Mr. Goldbrook," said the judge, "you may examine the testimony, if you so desire."

"The defense will gladly examine the testimony," replied Goldbrook.

Goth got this weird look on his face as he looked at me. I didn't like that expression.

"Now, Ms. Strand, will you tell me what you mean by 'a cute little button or a Munna'?"

"Aw, that. I just mean she was so kind and adorable. Ooh, if I wasn't on duty then, I'd about have squished her little heart out!"

I heard Maria give a little chuckle as Dia said this.

"And do you remember if she had anything with her?"

"Nothin' besides that letter, honey."

"Not even this?" he asked, pulling the shawl out of the case file.

"Eh…what's that?"

"The victim was wearing this at the time of death."

"Oh…oh she was?"

"Ms. Strand, I ask yo-"

**Objection!**

Goth was shaking a finger…claw, whatever, at Goldbrook. "I see you're pointing at miniscule missing details again."

"Objection overruled," said the judge, "I would like to hear this as well."

"Thank you, your honor," said Goldbrook, "now will you tell us the truth, Ms. Strand. Are you hiding something?"

"Eep!" cried Dia.

"Ms. Strand?" said Goldbrook.

"I…uh, forgot it?" she tried.

"Ms. Strand, I seem to find that hard to believe."

"Alright, alright, she told me not to tell anyone!"

I leaned forward slightly, wanting to know more about this "secret". Maria rose up, noticeably higher.

"…Tell anyone what, Ms. Strand?"

"She told me not to let anyone else know, she didn't want anyone else to worry…"

**{{{ Witness's Testimony }}}**

"When she came in, she looked plum scared. I asked her what the matter was.

"She said she was worried about something, concerned for her own safety.

"She felt like she was bein' followed and handed me a letter.

"She said, 'don't tell anyone, just send this to my aunt as fast as you possibly can'.

"True to my word, I never told a soul until today."

**{{{ End of Testimony }}}**

You could've heard a pin drop in the silence that followed.

"So, she had some strange sense of something following her, not entirely illogical," stated Goth.

Ignoring Goth, Goldbrook asked her, "Do you know what was inside that letter?"

"Oh, darling, that's not for me to know. Tampering with the mail's a crime, you know."

Maria rose up then, holding a small, grey envelope in her hand.

"I have the letter, your honor. Shall I read it?"

The judge looked wide-eyed at the scene before him. "It would be highly irregular, but I will allow it."

**{{{ Reading of the Letter }}}**

_Dear Aunt Maria,_

_I am afraid for my life. I feel a shadow following me wherever I go, and I feel like it's chasing me almost. I may die before you get this, but please, Aunt Maria, I need you to come! I need your help, I really do! I don't know when or where it will strike, but it will happen soon._

_I'm afraid, Aunt Maria, I need you._

_With love, Molly Undella._

**{{{ The Letter Ends }}}**

I looked back over at the 2 desks, one with Goldbrook, one with…what?

Goth was leaning against the wall, eyes wide open, a Darkling at the desk now.

"You pesky little attorney, sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong…"

"But…but how?" stammered the shocked Braviary.

"Oh, it was quite simple, really. That Farfetch'd over there had no idea what was going on, so I simply stole his body and did the dirty deed. And just now I was inside this one," gesturing towards where Goth lay, "hoping to get rid of this meddlesome Cubone."

The Arcanine and Blastoise, obviously not happy they'd been used, stepped forward, ready to unleash their anger on him.

"Oh, come now, come now, I wouldn't want to do that…" he said with a wicked grin.

"You're dead!" cried the Blastoise before charging forward.

Bad move.

As soon as the Blastoise was within arms reach, the Darkling whipped behind the turtle and swiftly tripped and pinned him.

"Now for the final touch…"

I watched in horror as the Darkling went _inside_ his mouth. Before long the Blastoise was back on his feet. This time, however, his eyes were blood red.

"Ah, much better. Now, as for you…" he said, an evil grin on his face as he looked at me.

The crowd began to scream and flood towards the door, hoping to escape. I, however, didn't have that luxury, as my hands were still tied behind my back. I watched my seemingly short life flash past my vision as a Hydro Pump was sent my way. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the impact.

It never came.

The Arcanine had jumped over me and used himself as a shield. It was about then that Amanda rushed over and slammed into the Blastoise with a fury I'd never seen before, and Katie was hot on her tail. Or…wow, was she on…fire? Soon, the rest of my friends had jumped in, attacking the Darkling whenever possible, trying to distract him. However, the Darkling soon caught on, and simply sent another Hydro Pump my way. This time, it was blocked by some weird shield-barrier-thingy of magic. I turned around Maria using her powers to block the stream.

"Nobody. Kills my niece. And expects. To get away with it!" she yelled in-between gasps and launched some attack I wasn't able to properly identify, but it left quite impression on the Darkling, apparently. I was also surprised when I felt the bands around my wrists loosen. I turned back, surprised to see the Arcanine sitting there, panting heavily.

"Don't waste your time, hurry!"

I nodded and picked up my bone, which he had behind him, and rushed into the fray. I almost, in fact, ran into a fire-coated Katie on my way in. I could've made a really bad joke then, but now was neither the time nor place. Spotting another jet of water headed my way, I threw up a wall between me and the water, blocking it to an extent. The battle dragged on like this for a few minutes before the Darkling simply paused, looked up at an odd angle, and began shivering. I looked over, Maria performing some strange chant.

"I banish you, 'o demon of darkness!"

Suddenly, the Darkling came back out of the mouth of the poor Blastoise, and that Darkling was making an unholy scream as the hex took its effect. Then, it looked like someone had slit a hole in the air, and the Darkling was dragged into the rift. As the last of the Darkling disappeared through the void, it began to sew itself together, as if it had never been there.

It was then that I took a look around the courtroom, which was in complete shambles. Not to mention the walls of stone I'd made here, there, and everywhere. The judge, who had been sitting there the entire time apparently, had eyes as big as saucers. I grinned nervously, glad that my skull covered my face, and made the stone walls sink back into the ground.

**:::::::::::::::**

A few weeks later, we were back in court, but in a new one. The old one was still being repaired by an army of Timburr. The judge sat at his desk, Goldbrook at his, and Goth, who hadn't died, at his. Nobody else, save for me, my team, the Blastoise (in some casts. I did say I was sorry), the Arcanine, Maria, Carter, and Dia, were there.

"At this point," started the judge, "it's just a formality, but as of right now, I pronounce the defendant, Jacob Cubone…"

**Not Guilty.**

We all celebrated in our own small way. Tonight, I was no longer sleeping on a cot in a dank jail cell, I would be sleeping back home, where I belong.

Belong…the word rang in my head a few times. Yes, this was where I belong. Even if I came from somewhere else, I've made friends here that I would have never made otherwise…Mido, Ian, Amanda, Katie, Brent, Goldbrook, Carter, Goth, the judge, Maria, Serena, Tim, Rose, Chance, Alec, Vazir, and a whole bunch more I'd love to say. Yes, this…this is where I am, and here I'll stay. For as long as I live.

**:::::::::::::::**

Sorry for the extremely cheesy ending, but hey, cheese is delicious! :)

And did anyone else see the word count last time? It was exactly 27,500! I didn't even plan that, but it happened!

So, yeah. Who knew? Actually, in the original version of this scene, Carter was Guilty, but then the Darkling idea came to mind, and I just _had_ to do it.

Also, if anyone is interested, I'm currently looking for Beta Readers. If you'd like to apply, send me a PM. I'd love you forever if you did it.

So, this time, we have both Reviewer's Corner, and Question-Answer Session! :D

So, first, Reviewer's Corner:

pokemonkatia168757: _Love this chapter, it's very interesting! It seems Jacob has gotten himself into a little mess, hasn't he? :-) And i just try to tell you what I think about the chapter. The longer chapters aren't bad! I don't mind either way. Thank you for another awesome chapter! :-)  
_Yeah, I liked it too. Hope you enjoyed this one as well. Thank you for supporting this series. Seriously, this series wouldn't be here without you guys. And no, I'm not just saying that for the sake of saying that, you guys motivate me to write more. So, again, thank you.

WyldClaw (Chapter 2): _I loved it  
_Thank you! I'm flattered.

WyldClaw: _Cool! Team terra got their first mission  
_Glad you're enjoying the series. :)

IHazBazooka50: V_ery nice, and long too! This chapter feels a lot like the Pheonix Wright games. Also, could you possibly put in what evidence we have? Feels like we're missing that_.  
Thank you, that's exactly what I was going for. Also, thanks for the suggestion.

And secondly, we have Question-Answer Session! Thank you, IHazBazooka50! :D

To Mido: When are you going to teach Jacob that sword technique thing?  
I think my dad could teach it much better than I could.

To Amanda: When did you learn to do the air-thing?  
When we letting out our secrets. Jacob just probably forgot to put it in. *sigh*

To Goldbrook: How'd you put your vest on? O_O  
I put it on myself! It's actually quite easy.

To The Writer guy who I cant remember the name of: Where do you get all this inspiration from, and what kind of things can we look forward to in the future? :)  
First off, it's 'JacobDaGun'. Secondly, it just kind of comes naturally. Sometimes it's from me talking to my friends, sometimes it's you guys leaving reviews. Thirdly, I don't want to spoil anything, but I think it's safe to say that they'll be fighting Darklings in the future. Hope that's what you wanted! :)

So, yeah, hope you guys really enjoyed this one, took me ages to write, due to lack of motivation. Man, those courtroom scenes were so hard to write, I'm glad those are done and gone!

So, you guys have a lovely day, and I'll see you all next time! Buh-bye!

- JacobDaGun


	18. Chapter 18 - Wax on, Wax off

Man, the support you guys have been giving me is amazing. I started writing this about an hour after the last chapter got up. For more suspense, it'd make sense for me to delay this one, but I won't, because I'm not that mean. :)

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The Shroud of Darkness**

_Chapter 18 – Wax on…wax off…_

Ah, fall, one of my more favorite of the seasons. Why? Oh, that special chill in the air when autumn starts to roll around, the trees stealing the colors from the sunset, it's just a lovely time of year. I knew it was coming for a while now, that expectation of just going out and feeling that first cool breeze of fall…feels like a second Christmas in a way. And what was everyone doing during this time? Why, they were setting up for a big occasion, their annual Harvest Festival. Everyone was preparing for it, not a soul was to be seen that wasn't doing something for the festival.

Ho hum.

Recently, Vazir, who was currently in a lot of heat due to his…mistake, had heard of the Darkling incident in the courtroom. Exactly how, I'll never know, but he called us in during our sleep. He spent some time telling us that the Darklings, and their leader Galbarix, were getting stronger. So, we needed to get stronger too. Most of the legendaries were currently combating the Darklings, so we needed to get stronger so we, the heroes (and co.), could fulfill our duties. Despite there being a large majority of the Legendaries fighting the forces of Darkness, there were still a few that were not fighting, staying behind to take care of their duties or (in some cases) their injuries. However, some were actually staying behind to train us. Yep, training. Reshriam was coming soon to teach Katie, who we recently discovered was the…what'd he call it again, a guardian or something? Anyway, similar to how I had control over stone and Amanda had control over wind, Katie had control over fire. I know, that really doesn't make sense, but I can't argue with something that's been predestined.

Anyway, so Reshriam was coming to train Katie in using her powers better. Mew, who had been in close contact with Vazir ever since his loss, was going to train Mido and Ian, so they'd be an asset as well. Landorus was going to come and train me, and Brent, whose Water-controlling abilities were beginning to awaken, was supposed to train with Succine, but she wouldn't have any of it, so Vazir was going to be taking care of 2 trainees: Amanda and Brent.

About a week later, everyone had begun meeting with their trainers and getting stronger. Except me, this was a tad discouraging. Everyone was coming home improved, or having learned some new cool thing they could do. Then, there's me, just sitting in a corner. After a week, I was getting a tad concerned. Where was Landorus? I didn't want to join Mew's sessions, because I didn't want to overburden him. Reshriam would be absolutely no help to me, and neither would Vazir. So, to blow off steam, and to keep in shape, I decided to go on a hike. We had some nearby plateaus, the ones we found Brent near, and I decided to hike to the top of one of those while I was waiting for Landorus, or Oro, as I'd heard him called, to appear.

One hike later, and I was at the top of the plateau I'd chosen to hike up. This one was actually kind of cool, because it intersected with another, higher plateau, so it looked a bit like a giant stool-chair-thing. Once up there, I decided to try improving my land-shaping abilities, and so practiced with that for a bit. Soon, though, I felt something causing some kind of tremor underground. And it sounded big. In sub-conscious self-defense, I managed to lock the ground beneath me in place. Suddenly, the tremors stopped. I paused a moment, wondering where it went.

"Would you kindly release the ground?"

I turned around, looking for the source of the voice. I saw something that almost looked like a Diglett with Groucho Marx glasses and an Einstein Wig. It took me a second to realize who it was. I released the ground immediately, and out came the rest of the body. It was Landorus.

"Whoo," I said, relieved, "I thought something bad happened to you."

He replied, with a bit more emphasis than needed, "That Mew wouldn't tell me where you were, so I had to look around the entire place before I found 'ya!"

If you must know, he sounded a lot like Terry Crews, from those old spice commercials. And he always seemed to be yelling.

"Oh, so, now what do we do?"

"You know what we gotta do? We gotta get you in shape!"

"So, we're going t-"

"Here's what we do first, we're gonna see how 'in shape' you are! Put down those bones of yours and fight me, without that magic rock flinging of yours!"

…What?

Hooo, boy, this guy is…yeah.

Let's just say that I got absolutely creamed.

"Son," he said, "if you don't shape up, you never gonna kill that darkness. Those guys sneeze, and you fall right over! Now, get up, we got some work to do!"

Uh…work?

He picked up my bone and slammed it into the ground, leaving it jammed ¾ of the way into the ground. It also effectively pinned down my skull, so I could take neither.

"Hey, wha…I need those!"

"Need, or want? You can have those back when you pull them outta the ground."

I grinned as I thought of moving the ground and retrieving it. But…it didn't work.

"You trying that magic of yours? Well it ain't gonna work, 'cuz I've blocked off your magic! We don't need to work on your magic-usin' skills, we gotta work on you!"

Oh…oh no.

"Now," he said, pulling a boulder out of the ground, "I need this on that plateau up there, right now!"

"Wait, what? Are you try-"

"Are you going to make excuses, or are you going to start acting like a hero and do what you're told?"

I sized up the boulder. It was easily as big as I was…so this was going to be fun. What if I rolled it…?

"Oh, sorry, I forgot, it's your first day."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I gotta fix this boulder so you can hold it better!"

I didn't like the sound of that. When he was done with it, it was no longer round, but a cube instead. Oooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…oh no.

With no other alternative, I went over to the boxy-boulder and got my fingers under one side. With an enormous amount of effort, I managed to just barely lift it.

"C'mon, is that your head doin' the liftin', or are you using your muscle? We ain't here to work on that mess up in your head, we're here to work on your muscles everywhere else! Now let's move, that pebble ain't gonna lift itself!"

This was a _pebble_?

Trying to take his advice, I cleared my mind of nothing but the thought of moving the boul-er, 'pebble'. This time, I was actually able to lift it up, and was able to shoulder it onto my back so I could carry it easier.

Now, to try and walk would be a different matter. My muscles cried out in agony as I tried the basic motion of even lifting a foot. Eventually, I had to make do with a sort of shuffling motion. Oro sighed, watching me struggle. Suddenly, I felt my load lighten considerably. Confused, I turned around and saw Oro holding it in one hand.

"You can't even lift this pebble? What's wrong with you?"

Then, in a rather spectacular fashion, he simply tossed it and it went flying up, up, up…and it landed on the upper plateau in a spectacular fashion.

"Alright, I guess we can't even do the basics yet, huh? You are not going to win this war with this kind of attitude!"

"There is no feasible way for me to carry that 'pebble' up that plateau at my current level, okay?"

"Well, that's pretty d*** obvious to me! C'mon, let's get you started on baby material!"

Soon, I had heavy rocks tied to my legs, arms, and tail. We were next to a lake.

"Alright, Mr. Wimp, since you can't handle the land yet, you gotta start on water! Now, swim across this thing 20 times, do you understand me?"

"Bu-"

He gave me a stern look.

*sigh* "Yes sir."

"Great! See you on the other side!"

Wha? That's it? Uh…geez, 20 trips across the lake and back with stones on all my extraneous appendages. That, and my inability to cope with water…no, wait, he wants me to focus on nothing else but getting across 20 times, right? I guess we just go then? I waded in, took a deep breath, cleared my thoughts as best as possible, and steeled myself up for the task ahead.

**:::::::::::::::**

It wasn't even noon when I started, and by the time I'd finished 10 laps, the moon had been out for a while. The others, a tad concerned about what had happened to me, had begun looking for me. Eventually, Mido found me.

"Jacob?" he asked, absolutely at a loss for words, "What are you doing?"

"Can't talk, must swim."

Apparently, Oro came up to Mido and explained what he was having me do. Mido shook his head concernedly, but went home to tell the others that I was fine. Well, fine wasn't even what I was, I was exausted, I was a little scared, it was just not a fun time for me.

Sunset, the next day, and I wearily reached the shore, my laps complete.

"Have fun in there?" Oro asked.

"No…" I said, completely out of breath. I swear, it was about 2 seconds later that I absolutely collapsed, completely tired. 5 minutes later, I get woken up by Oro.

"We ain't done yet, so don't even think of sleepin'!"

What?

"You still got a pebble to move!"

I just about walked home right then, but I didn't even have the energy to hike that far. Reluctantly, I trudged up the hill to where the square 'pebble' was, and eventually persuaded my worn arms to cooperate. Step after step, I managed to get down the hill. I nearly crushed myself with the 'pebble' once I was done moving it, but it was done, the deed was done.

"Good job! With work like that, you might be able to actually scratch Galbarix! Now, you get home, everyone needs their rest!"

Luckily, Mido came around about then, just in time to catch me from rolling down the hill. I'm serious, that's all the energy I had left after that beast of a workout.

**:::::::::::::::**

The next day, I slept pretty much all day. The only reason I got up was because I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, 2 days prior. Of course, movement was nearly impossible. I might as well have been made of stone, because my muscles were _stiff_. You guys complain about how tired you are after your workouts? Pfft, try working out with Oro, that'll fix your problems!

Anyway, movement was extremely hard to do. It was strange, last night I could've picked up a boulder, but now I was unable to pick up my own hands. Through a lot of pain and weakness, I managed to get downstairs, greeted by the snickering of Amanda.

"Have a nice swim?" she asked with a wide, toothy grin.

I just grunted at her, as that was pretty much all I wanted to say to her. Also, because that's about all I could manage. All I was able to get to eat was an Aspear or 2, I was just wasted. After munching those down, my stomach still complained to me, but I didn't want any of it. I was absolutely tired.

Eventually, I got the rest I needed, and waking up was still just as painful. Turns out, the lake had paralyzed me, but my constant movement had negated the effect somewhat. I had a few Cheri's before setting back out to the plateau, knowing fully well what kind of horrors awaited me. Not like I had much of a choice, because I had a goal. I had a goal to get stronger than Oro…if at all possible. I wanted to beat him. I had a mission. My heart was completely into it…the same could not be said for the rest of my body. *sigh* Guess it's just going to take a while.

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Chapter done! I honestly did not expect to get this done tonight, but I did. Go figure. So, what do you guys think of Oro? Fun guy, right? :)

Just one review today. Here we go, in Reviiiieeeeweerrrrrrrr's Cooorrrrrrrnerrrr!

pokemonkatia168757: _Cool chapter! I like how you implemented the Darklings into this. Can't wait for next chapter! Thank you! :-)  
_Thank you. Also, don't know if I mentioned this before, but I really like your avatar. And, you're welcome too.

Yeah, so there you go. Everyone's training up for the big fight. Actually, the big fight won't happen for a long, long time. I still haven't planned up that far, yet! Oh well.

Again, looking for a Beta-Reader. If you're interested, I'm PM-able.

Well, you guys have a lovely day, and I'll see you all next time!

- JacobDaGun


	19. Chapter 19 - Fellowship, Pt 1

I finally found the little bugger that's been causing me strife on my computer. Anyone know of any good ad-blockers? I seem to get a lot of programs that just get on my computer randomly, and their sole purpose in life is to make as many ads as possible. So far, I've gotten ClearThink, SmarterThink, and Buzzdock, and I'd really like an ad-blocker so I don't have to deal with this anymore.

Anyway, enough of my personal woes, let's get to the chapter!

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The Shroud of Darkness**

_Chapter 19 – Fellowship of the Knight, Pt. I_

I opened my eyes, and saw nothing but orange, with black waves on the border of my vision. "…Haven't I been here before?" I asked nobody in particular.

"Why yes, you have," replied a woman's voice.

I shot up, searching for the source of the voice. I looked all around me, but saw nobody.

"What is it you seek?" asked the voice again.

"Where are you? I can't…I can't see you."

"You cannot see me, for I am not truly there. I speak to you from afar."

"Who…are you?"

"I am the guardian of this land."

"Oh, I apologize for being rude earlier!"

"In what way were you rude? I saw none."

"Uh…I'm just not going to talk about that."

"Listen, as we speak, you are in danger, young hero."

"How'd you kno…well, you are the guardian of this land…anyway, who's coming after me?"

"It would be best for you to see for yourself."

"Wha-"

Suddenly, orange fog came from out of nowhere, and enveloped me. When the fog cleared, I was standing in a place that almost looked like something out of a painting. The entire landscape was a very dark grey color with a hint of purple. The sky was a dank purple as well, and black clouds could be seen skittering over the eye of the lidless moon. There wasn't really an eye on the moon, mind you, that's just a poetic way…yeah, let's get back to the story.

Anyway, the only figures visible were 2 Darklings, who wore capes. They also had some kind of grey rings imprinted onto their arms and legs. There was also a Lugia, with colors similar to that of Vazir, but it wasn't him. Vazir had normal eyes, except the purple irises. This one had eyes that were completely red, and seemed to glow with some evil energy.

"Milord, the removal was unsuccessful," reported the 1st Darkling, whose cape was an ugly shade of dark maroon.

"What!?" exclaimed the Dark Lugia, presumably Galbarix.

"We are sending more, who are more experienced," said the 2nd, whose cape was a dark indigo color. "They will strike when they are most vulnerable."

"You had better not disappoint me this time, as I've already spared you once," grumbled Galbarix.

Both caped Darklings, who I'll call Bub and Bob for the sake of ease, jumped to their feet and replied in unison, "Yessir!"

"Now," said Galbarix in a more business-like tone, "have you performed the ritual?"

Bub replied, "I have seen it for myself, milord. The rituals were a success."

Bob also stated, "The weakest among them have received at least 2 rituals."

"Good," said Galbarix, "and will they take the town as well?"

"They will strike on the 'eve of their 'harvest festival', when they will least expect it," reported Bub.

"And what of that meddlesome Lugia?" asked Galbarix.

"We will take care of him personally," responded Bob.

"I expect nothing less than success; pray you don't disappoint me," warned Galbarix.

"Of course, milord," responded Bub.

"Oh, and one more thing," said Galbarix with a voice reminiscent of a snake's, "those 'friends' of those heroes?"

"Yes?" replied Bob.

"Kill them."

"Of course, sire," responded Bub.

"Now, go. I expect you to bring back their heads," said Galbarix.

"We're on our way, sir," said Bob.

The fog once again obscured my vision, and soon I was back in the land of orange and black.

"Woah, what was that?" I asked.

"Their forces are massing, and they will attack Trebel Town during their Harvest Festival. I am afraid we do not have much time before they arrive."

"I've been preparing for this with Oro."

"I do not know if even his training can help us now."

"And, one more thing. Do you know what they meant with that 'ritual' business?"

"It is a cruel process that often corrupts the user. I know not what dark practices they use to do this, however I do know it is only at the expense of life. The user gains power, but loses his sanity. The process also leaves distinguishable grey bands over the user."

"So, those guys in the capes?"

"They are generals of the highest rank. Their presence here spells certain demise for us."

"I won't let that happen!"

"Then we must hurry. In the mountains not far from here, there is a shrine. There, one of the protectors of old lay. You must take your friends and hurry there. We still have time yet before the festival, 3 weeks at best, so you must make haste there."

"That I will. Oh, wait, I need to be awake first, don't I?"

"Yes, you must. Now, I will send you back. Take this map, it will show you where you need to go."

"Leave it to me!"

**:::::::::::::::**

I awoke with a start, my muscles still protesting from training with Oro the previous day. He made me fight off these stone "warriors" that popped up out of the ground and came forward towards me. I wasn't too good at it, so I'd gotten hit quite a bit. Looking around, I found the map of where we needed to go. Grabbing it, I rushed downstairs in a hurry.

"Guys!" I called, "I've got bad news!"

Ian poked his head out from around the corner. "What is it?"

"This woman was talking to my in my sle…man this sounds weird, but just hear me out, okay?"

Amanda snickered behind me, still eating her breakfast.

"You can tell us, dude."

"Alright, so this woman was talking to me in my sleep, telling me she was the guardian of the land, an-"

Mido, who was in the process of taking a drink from his cup, suddenly preformed a spectacular spit-take. He gasped a bit before turning to me and asking, "You met with Kaissahn in your sleep?"

"Uh…what?"

"She is the protector of the land, and she talks to people in their dreams. Nobody knows where she is, but she does her best to protect everyone."

"Oh…well, anyway, she was saying that we're in danger, the entire town's in danger; Galbarix is sending an army to here, and they're going to attack during the Harvest Festival!"

Katie, who was trying to wipe milk off her feathers, squawked in surprise. Amanda dropped her fork, Brent just about fainted, Mido took a step back, and I didn't see Ian's reaction, but I heard something crack.

"…W-what?" Mido asked hesitantly.

"You heard me, they're coming here. Kai…Kas…whatever-her-name-was told us to go to these mountains," I said, while pointing to the mountains on the map, "and find a shrine. Inside was a protector or something, but we need to go soon."

"Then there's not a moment to lose!" Ian called from the kitchen, running around the corner.

**:::::::::::::::**

I stood at the base of the plateau, breathing in deeply before exhaling, steeling my nerves for the conversation ahead. Sizing up the cliff face, I grabbed onto a protruding stone and hefted myself up. Stone after stone, I climbed, and a short minute later, I was at the top of the plateau, where Oro waited.

"Decided to show up, huh?" he said.

"Oro, I'm not here today to get stronger, I'm here today to fight."

"You decided you man enough to beat me?"

"I can't lose, I've got an entire town waiting on this."

Suddenly, his tail was aiming for my head. Expecting this, I quickly leaped over the tail and gave him a drill-kick to the head. He blocked with his beefy arm, while his other came straight towards me. I rolled off the arm and onto his back, where I delivered a blow with my heel. Spinning around quickly, he chopped me off his back with his hand, batting me away a few feet. Staying on my feet, I skidded backwards, controlling the skid so I stopped facing him. Oro closed the distance in no time, changing into a 4-legged form, and slashing me. His claws met with empty air, however, giving me time to crawl under him and get him on his unprotected belly. Surprisingly, my kick sent him away a little bit. I dashed over, ready to strike once more. However, Oro landed perfectly on his feet and preempted my attack with his own bite. I slid under him to avoid his jaws, only to get caught by my neck with his tail. He then picked me up with it, swinging it around in front of him to get a better look at him.

I…I lost?

"Not bad, for an undercooked small fry," he said while putting me down. "You fight the darklings like that, you might actually pose a small threat! I think we're ready to get you going on the real stuff!"

"No, not now, I have a mission to accomplish first," I responded before walking over to where my bone was jammed into the ground. I pulled on it, and it came free.

"You need to get to those mountains so you can get help from that rusted up knight, don't you?"

"I actually have no idea what we need to do up there," I said, while putting my skull back on, "I just know that if we don't do this, that town down there is going to end up in ruins."

"And that overconfident whelp of a Lugia will die?"

"Oh, yeah, that too…wait, how old _is_ he?"

"As far as your life goes, you older than him!"

Wait, so in Lugian terms, he was still just an adolescent? Guess that explains why he took on a challenge far above what he was capable of.

He did not give me my earth powers back, saying that I'd need to beat him in real combat at least once before he'd give it back. That suited me just fine, as I had time after this to do that. I walked back to the house, trusted bone in hand, ready to set out on a quest.

**:::::::::::::::**

Upon returning to the base, I began packing immediately. The trek would last several days, so we wanted to be sure we had what we needed. It was about then, we heard a knock on our door. I answered it, surprised to see Tim, Serena, Rose, Chance, Streke, Luke, Alec, and a Poochyena (who was Alec's teammate, Terrence. Yep, Alec was in a Rescue Team, who knew?) on our front step.

"Woah, what are all you guys doing here?" I asked, completely confused.

"Mido told us the entire thing, and we decided to come help you guys!" exclaimed Serena with enormous enthusiasm.

"Ah won' stand fer some dark devils to be trottin' o'er our town!" said Streke.

"I believe it would be quite the mishap should anything befall our dear town, or this special occasion," stated Chance.

Ian came over to the door about then. "You guys ready?"

With one voice, everyone said "Yes!" (Or something akin to "yes", such as "aye" and "certainly", to name a few.)

"Then let's get going!"

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

So, more stuff happens here, which is good. Just a quick note, this happens about a week after the last chapter, so that's why Jacob's stronger.

Also, one of my reviewers, one Spacemarine64, did bring up a good point, which I'll get to in a second, in Reeevieeeweerrrrr's Corrrrrneeeerrr!

SunnySummer77: _Well I must say, this is very interesting. I review so many stories everyday, and I thought I was doing so with this one. For that, I apologize. But this really is interesting and I'm glad to see that not only have the chapters gotten longer, but the quality and characters have developed in such a great fashion. Continue with this great work :)  
_Thank you for enjoying my story, and thank you for putting in your community as well! I don't really mind if you were just doing this as a routine thing, or as an honest, heart-felt thing, reviews are **always** a joy to get! And, I've improved that much? Good to know! :) And don't worry, I will.

pokemonkatia168757: _Nice chapter! I can see Jacob is having a hard time with Oro! (Laughs) Thank you for the chapter and compliment! And I'll see if i can beta-read. :-)  
_Yeah, he does. You're welcome to both, and if you want to Beta-read, that'd be awesome. It's great to see that I have such big fans.

Spacemarine64: _Loved it as always! was it you that knew about defenders of warmth? becaus i love that story a ton. it was the first story i ever read on fanfiction and started my connoisseursp of pmd stories. i have read more than 50 by now and loved tham all. try reading Scytheriders silver resistance story. its not finished but its a beast! I am Lucario is amazing too. but enough rant. i dont think i saw any mistakes of spelling so good job. see a special chapter about how ian and mido met. that would be great! i have read the outbreak up until the deoxys part and right after that but havent gotten back to it:( great story!  
_Well, thank you, new fan! :) Yes, I did read that for a while, and was part of the reason I started writing this. Glad to see you like this one out of the many you've read. Also, that idea about a bonus chapter…hmm, I probably will at some point! And…deoxys? I'm afraid I'm not sure what you're referring to there, but, thanks anyway! :D

Anyway, sorry if this chapter was a bit short, as I have something to be to tonight. But, next time will be longer, I promise!

Thank you guys for all the support, if not for that, I might not have written this far, or this much! Again, reviews are always a joy to see, but I won't force you to write them. Anyway, you folks have a lovely day, and I'll see you all next time! :)

- JacobDaGun


	20. Chapter 20 - Fellowship, Pt 2

Guys, guys, guess what? WE HAVE 20 CHAPTERS! :D

But, on the other hand, I did something to my shoulder. Something bit me during the service project yesterday, I don't know what it was though, but my shoulder-neck area hurts now. Well, according to the school nurse, I just pulled a muscle when I lifted something, or slept on it funny, or something. Either way, it hurts to even just yawn. But, this doesn't affect my writing too much, as the only things that move when I write are my fingers, really. But, enough of my personal woes, let's dive right into this chapter! :)

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The Shroud of Darkness**

_Chapter 20 – The Fellowship of the Knight, Pt. II_

Day 2 of our quest, or rather, Night 2. Our travels had brought to us a certain companionship. 4 teams, united in one cause, to save a small town. Felt pretty good. Anyway, with 13 others with us, we ended up having a few more problems with space than we had anticipated. I know that sounds weird, but you try having 14 people trying to sleep in the same general area. Some of us brought tents, but there wasn't quite enough room for everyone to sleep in a tent. Alec and Terrance generally slept under the stars, so they weren't a problem. Streke and Luke, however, posed a bit of a problem on their end, as they were trying to get into a tent, having forgotten theirs. Normally, I would've made a tent for myself with my Geokinesis, but Oro was still withholding that from me until I bested him in combat. Me and Katie ended up joining Alec and Terrance outside. Last night, it was Chance and Ian, and tomorrow we'd rotate again. I somewhat enjoyed this arrangement, as it gave me the chance to pop a question that had been sitting on my mind for some time now.

"Katie," I whispered to her, nudging her.

"…what?" she responded, visibly beginning to doze off.

"You remember a while back, after we saved Streke and Luke?"

"Yeah, what about it?" she said while shifting herself to look at me.

"Well, you were saying something about us on the way home, but you never said specifically what it was."

"…huh?"

"We were talking about flowers or something, weren't we?"

"Oh, that. It didn't really matter."

My intuition said she was lying.

"Well, you can tell me."

"Well, I'll say what I said then: it was just a silly thought, nothing more."

"C'mon, I'm great at keeping secrets. What's on your mind?"

"I just…no, this can wait for the morning."

"It won't take that long, will it?"

"Jake, let's just talk about this later."

"Katie, please, I have to know."

She sighed. "Alright. I don't know if this is just my imagination or something, but I…I think before we came here, we were…"

I waited for her to continue.

"I think we were…Jake, I think you might be my brother."

Now that, was a bit of a surprise to me.

"Oh."

"Like I said, it was just some random thought."

I thought hard, trying to recall anything from before my death. I couldn't find anything, though. I was about to give up when one thought bubbled up, and a memory began to play before my eyes…

**:::::::::::::::**

_Jake, we've gotta go soon if we want to pick up everyone in time to get up the canyon!_

Suddenly, I was in a room, unlike any I'd ever seen here…yet it felt like…home.

The room was somewhat small, with brown carpet extending across the floor, trampled flat with years of feet – both big and small – treading its surface. A rocking chair stood in one corner, near a big window that looked out onto a small neighborhood. The chair itself had seen better days, one of its arms having come off partially. A blue couch was placed opposite the window, and an old piano sat on the wall next to it. Beside the piano, a bookcase filled with various volumes, anywhere from the old west to the dragon-filled fantasies. Opposite the piano and bookcase, stairs leading to an upper level were seen, with a painting of a stormy, rocky coastal area depicted inside. A door at the bottom of the stairs lead outside. At the bottom of the stairs stood a girl, whose hair started brown and ended blonde (if that makes sense). She was wearing a t-shirt with some country celebrity on it (who I still can't remember the name of), a pair of gym shorts, and flip-flops. Would I have needed to guess her age, I'd say upper-teens to low-twenties.

"Alright, alright, alright," came a reply from somewhere upstairs, "I'm just grabbing a towel."

"Well, hurry," called the girl from the bottom of the stairs, "or we're gonna be late!"

Soon, a boy, still high school age no doubt, came walking down the stairs. He was wearing a hat with the name of a scout camp on it, a pair of sunglasses perched on the brim of the hat, a shirt with some kind of blocky landscape on it, a pair of swim trunks, and sandals. He had a towel slung over his shoulder.

"Do you want me to grab you a towel?" asked the boy, presumably the girl's brother.

"Sure," came the reply.

_What is going on,_ I thought to myself, _what is this memory?_ I looked at myself, seeing nothing, which was a tad worrying.

I heard the boy yelling something from upstairs, "do you want me to bring money with me?"

"How much do you have?"

"About 10 bucks."

"Just leave it."

"Okay."

He came back down the stairs, carrying another towel in his other hand. "Here you go, Kate."

"Thanks."

"Now, let's pick up your friends and get up there, this river isn't gonna float itself!"

The boy opened the door, the girl calling back through the other doorway, which must've led to the kitchen.

"Hey, Mom, we're going to go float down the river up the canyon, we'll be back later!"

"Alright, we'll see ya'," came the reply from 'mom' in the other room.

The girl headed outside, the boy following her out. Before closing the door, however, he poked his head back inside, staring at something. A confused look spread across his face as he appeared to be looking straight at me.

"Jake!" came the voice of the girl.

"Coming!" he yelled back before exiting the room, closing the door behind him.

Then, the room began to fade, a grey blankness replacing it.

**:::::::::::::::**

Soon, I was in some misty area, littered with large stones

"Hey, I know this place. I'm inside my head, aren't I?"

I was standing in front of one of the many stones.

"Were you the one that made me have that memory?" I asked the boulder.

Unsurprisingly, the stone said nothing.

I thought back to the figures I'd seen in this memory. The girl had called her brother "Jake", which was my name…was that how I looked like before? And what of the girl? I had called her "Kate" in my memory, could this be…Katie? So, were me and her…siblings then? Wait, if me and her were siblings, then…

What did our parents look like? And what was I staring at in my memory? The thought of seeing my future self in the past hurt my brain to even consider. Then again…me dying and waking up the next morning as a Pokémon would hardly be normal, would it?

Suddenly, I heard a noise all around me. It startled me, and I started peering around, looking for whatever had made that noise.

Then the noise happened again, only this time, it sounded like words almost. A few seconds later, the noise again. "…ake up!"

Oh, someone's trying to get me up. Got it. Better figure out how to get out of here then. Thinking of nothing better to do, I pinched myself. It did the trick, and I opened my eyes a split-second later. Katie was standing over me, grabbing onto my shoulder with her flipper. The sun wasn't quite up yet.

"Okay, you're awake. Good."

"Oh, hi Katie," I said with a yawn, "how was your sleep?"

"Pretty good, and you?"

"Same. Listen, you remember what you told me last night, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I think it's true. I remembered something last night, a memory of us going to float down a river or something."

Katie's eyes widened as she heard this. "I…I remember that too!"

We did a little happy dance together before we heard someone clear their throat nearby. It was Ian, who was looking at us like we were crazy.

"…what were you doing?" he asked in a very confused tone.

I shrugged, "Dancing."

Ian blinked a few times before walking off, rubbing his head. Heard him muttering something about sleeping outside as he walked off.

**:::::::::::::::**

"So, we need to head here," said Mido, pointing on a spot on the map next to the coast, "There, we can get a Lapras to ferry across and save ourselves a day's walk. Sound good to everyone else?"

We all gave our consent. Our camp had long since been packed up, and everyone was eager to get back onto the road again. This time, however, I stayed near Katie, the two of us enjoying each other's company even more so than we had before.

**:::::::::::::::**

The next day was fairly uneventful. Basically, all that happened was that we got to the docks on one end of the bay. We stayed there, at the motel near the docks, for the night. Turns out, there was a small outpost built around the docks, a small community that reminded us of Trebel Town, in miniature form.

Our group ended up being large enough that we couldn't all fit on one Lapras, so we ended up taking 2. They were very friendly and kept us entertained through all 3 hours of our trip. All in all, we saved a considerable amount of time, and we got a good bit of conversation to go along with it.

We pressed on, our destination nearer with every step we took.

**:::::::::::::::**

Night 6 of the journey, and I ended up taking another sleep outside. This time, I had Mido to keep me company. Rather than sleep, he took this time to understand me better, and the place where I came from.

"Do you have this many stars at home?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm sure there are," I replied, "but you can't see them unless you're out in the country, like where we are now."

"Why is that?"

"Our cities get very bright at night, so their light cancels out the stars' light."

"How do they get bright? I'd imagine it'd take a lot of oil and flame to keep a place as bright as that."

"Oh no, our lights don't run on oil, they run on electricity."

"…what?"

"They run on electricity. Our lights look like glass balls with coils of copper wire inside. The copper doesn't allow the electricity through very well, and so it heats up. Then, there's this other chemical inside the bulbs which burns bright when it gets heated up. So, that's how we make our lights."

He gave me a blank stare in return.

"Yeah, it's kind of complicated."

"Oh no, it's not that, it's the fact that they can come up with this kind of stuff."

"Well, light bulbs are handy for us. Perhaps I should try making one some day."

"Do they have any other weird things they do with electricity?"

"Well, we chop things really fast with them, we can heat things up quickly without a fire, we can talk from thousands of miles away with it, we travel quickly with it…and that's just the surface."

"You travel quickly with electricity? How?"

"We call them cars. They're these metal machines that can weigh about 3,000 pounds."

Mido gave me a wide-eyed stare.

"Basically," I continued, "you put this…I guess you could call it oil if you wanted to. Anyway, we put that into the car, and the car uses electricity to pump the 'oil' into these pistons, which is a small machine that pushes things around. And the way that pistons work is with the 'oil' being blown up inside the piston. It blows up because of the sparks we generate inside the car."

"So the pistons explode?"

"In a sense, but they don't get destroyed, since they use little explosions."

Mido paused a moment to take in all this new information. "Alright, go on."

"So, the pistons then push the wheels attached to the car forward."

"Alright. It sounds complicated, but alright. Do they go very fast?"

"Oh, boy they can go fast. At their slowest, they go about 20 miles every hour."

"At their _slowest_?"

"Yeah. We have some that can go about 10 times that fast, though."

Mido shook his head, absolutely amazed that humans could travel that fast.

"Do people go any faster than that?"

"Well, yes, actually. They make machines that can fly through the sky. Those have been known to reach several times the speed of sound."

"I thought sound just happened instantly."

"Not quite. It's not _that_ fast. Think of a person standing away from you on a field. Doesn't it take a second or two for you to hear what they just said?"

"I guess so…"

"Anyway, so sound travels really fast, but they can go several times faster than it. Last I checked, they can go 4-6 times faster than sound. In layman's terms, if you wanted to visit your aunt who lived hundreds of miles away, you could easily get there in under a day."

"Your flying things sound like they could give Latias and Latios a challenge."

"I don't think we'd ever be able to give them a run for their money, honestly. Those flying machines, or jets if you will, go fast, but those two go much faster."

We spent several more minutes discussing more of the strange inventions we had before he clocked out for the night. I followed his lead and plopped down for a sleep as well.

Despite all the time we've spent together after this has all happened, I have yet to take him on an airplane ride. I wonder how he'd react to that to be honest…

(Hey, Mido!)

(Yeah?)

(You want to try flying on an airplane? I've got a brother-in-law who could arrange that.)

(Uh…no thank you!)

(Bu-c'mon!)

(No!)

Eh, he's not up for it. Bummer.

So, on the next day, we would be at the mountain, and hopefully finding this shrine before anything bad happened. But, then again, what was at the shrine that we needed? I guess we'd see when we got there.

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Yay, suspense! :)

I don't really have much else to say, except for that I'm planning future chapters once again. I realize that as far as planned chapters go, I'm very far ahead, but never a bad idea to keep extra chapters stocked up for me to write! :)

Also, another fun fact: This part of the story didn't actually exist in my original sketch. The Harvest Festival was just going to be a sort of bonus chapter, but it's a full-blown plot element now. Fancy that.

So, today we have some reviews to go over! :) Time for Reevieeewerrrr's Cooorneeerrrrrr!

pokemonkatia168757: _Cool chapter! It looks like major stuff is happening here! I'm excited for the next chapters! Thank you! :-)_

Well, it is to an extent. Yeah, I guess so! Thanks, and you're welcome!

Spacemarine64: _Great again! the deoxys is part of the outbreak. he is the bad guy before yveltal. i like this pmd because its got a good storyline and a decent chapter size. and fast updates. thank you so much for those :) i also think the darklings are pretty cool. and your way better than me at writing which is a good sign too. i can make ideas but i cant really make little details happen. (end rant here) hope you can continue at this speed :)_

I'm just going to assume that's another fan fic I'm going to have to look up sometime. May I just say that the fact that you find my story a pearl among all the other fan fics you've read really says something. And, don't feel bad about not being able to write well, I have a few tips below that will help you! :) And don't worry, I am continuing at this speed. Thank you for your continued support.

TheMezzerino: _Easily the best story I've read on FF. Keep up the AMAZING work!_

Why sir, I'm flattered.

Also, for those of you who are looking for ways to improve your writing, here's some tips of mine:

First – Spell check, if you have the resources to.  
Secondly – Get a beta-reader. I heard this one from someone else, and apparently it works wonders.  
Thirdly – There is no substitute for experience. You naturally get better as you write, so write often. Heard this one from that guy also, and I completely agree with this.  
Fourth – Check TV Tropes. I heard this from the same guy, but I don't really get this one. But hey, he's a good writer, so what he says must be good.  
Fifth – Avoid the clichés.  
Sixth – Write the kind of stories you would want to read.  
Seventh – Avoid using over-used characters. In the case of Pokémon Fan Fiction, I see _way_ too many stories where the one of the main characters is an Eevee/Eeveelution, Riolu/Lucario, Pikachu, Snivy, and all the other fan-favorites. Remember, there are over 700 Pokémon now, make full use of all of them.

Anyway, those are my tips for success. A big thanks to that stranger on Omegle for some of those tips.

That's about all I have for you guys tonight. As much as I enjoy getting reviews, I don't require you to review. Seriously though, whether it be criticism, praise, or hate mail, I do love the reviews. And, if you got them, please ask me questions, I'd be happy to answer some.

That's about all for tonight. Hope you all have a lovely evening (or day) and I will see you all next time!

- JacobDaGun


	21. Chapter 21 - Fellowship, Pt 3

Alright, here's what I'm thinking. If you guys can get this fan fiction to 1,000 views, (we're hovering right around 750 right now) I will make an extra-long chapter. I'm thinking about 8k words should be good. Just my little "thank you" for giving this fan fiction a tremendous amount of support.

Oh, and for anyone on Lake Valor (Some guy named AstralFlame PM'd me about it. Poor message has been sitting in my inbox for weeks.), I recently signed up, so look for me there.

Alright, enough prattling, more story! :)

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The Shroud of Darkness**

_Chapter 21 – Fellowship of the Knight, Pt. III_

By the time anyone else had woken up, I was standing next to the small stream that ran nearby, breathing in the fresh, morning air. I stood there, reveling in how close we were to our goal, and just thinking of all that had happened so far: Me meeting Mido, Ian, Amanda, Brent, and even reuniting with the sister I'd forgotten I'd even had, as well as meeting a load of other people, and helping many more, I'd fought the forces of darkness, learned a few new skills, met several legendary figures, carried countless 'pebbles', prosecuted for a crime I never committed, learned more than I did when I was still human, and I had even died and was still here.

"We've done so much," I said to myself, "but we have more things yet to accomplish."

"You're right about that part," said Mido from behind me, completely startling me.

"Oh, you're up."

"I woke up a little bit ago. What were you thinking about?"

"Just…just about all the things we've done, and have yet to do. Think about how much I've learned in the time I've been here!"

"But didn't you forget everything?"

I chuckled, "well, yes, but even if you've forgotten something, you can still learn things. Plus, there are things here I wouldn't have been able to learn anywhere else. For starters, I don't recall ever having been arrested before, so that was a new experience. That, and reuniting with a sister I'd forgotten I had, an-"

"Wait, what?"

"Oh right, you don't know. I actually remembered something a few nights ago, and it turns out that-"

"-that Katie is your sister?" Mido finished for me.

I blinked at him for a moment. "You knew?"

"Well sure, the way you two have been talking with each other, you looked like brother and sister at times."

"…was it really that obvious?"

"I don't know if anyone else noticed, but I did."

We sat down on the bank of the stream, talking about our friends, and reminiscing on past events.

"I still remember finding you washed up on that sand bank," said Mido, "and you just looked so lost and awkward…I just had to help you."

"So I'm awkward on river banks then?"

Mido gave me a blank stare.

"…I'm turning into Amanda, aren't I?" I asked him.

We both busted out laughing, knowing how often she liked to be sarcastic.

**:::::::::::::::**

The sun was well on its way on its journey across the sky before our little party got on its way. We traveled along the foothills, looking for the trail up the mountain. Ian had recently discovered that the map was magical, and could zoom in on areas. When Ian accidentally made it happen, he nearly dropped the map. Amanda spent a few seconds figuring out the zoom feature. It turns out, you placed 2 fingers (or claws) on the map's surface, and either slid them apart from each other to zoom in, or slid them together to zoom out. (For those who are having trouble visualizing this, think of how you zoom in/out on a tablet or smart-phone.) Ian couldn't grasp this, so Amanda was placed in charge of the map for the duration of the hike up the mountain.

After our 3-hour tour (our 3-hour tour) up the mountain trails, we eventually came across some kind of flat area, nestled between 4 peaks. The area was shaded, lying in the mountain's shadow. It was also filled with a lot of greenery, and a small brook running through the area. We split up into 2 teams to find the shrine, one was Team Terra, the other was the 3 remaining groups.

**:::::::::::::::**

About 15 minutes passed before I found some kind of plaque on the ground. I looked at it for a little bit, the foreign characters making an absolute jumble to my eyes. Giving up, I called over Brent, who was the best at reading out of the 4 of us that were new to it. Even he was struggling with the complex text on the metal. After calling over Katie and Amanda, we still couldn't make heads or tails out of it, so we got Ian and Mido to come over eventually.

"What did you guys find?" asked Ian.

"Uh, we don't know," came my lame response.

Ian looked at the plaque before looking back at me. "This isn't written in the normal characters we use, but it looks like some kind of ancient text…and I can't make it out."

"Ian, what are you talking about, that's written very clearly."

We all turned to look at Mido, who was standing over Ian, looking at the plaque.

"It says…"

_To whom ye seek the silver power_

_Must first pass this final test._

_The ones whom were chosen in this deciding hour_

_And the ones whose skills surpass the rest._

_Their strengths combined, they must make_

_Or else by none, the light to fade._

_The chosen must succeed, for the Dawn to break,_

_Or the world will forevermore be a living fa__ç__ade._

_O chosen, the time draws near…_

Mido paused then. We all continued to stare at Mido.

"…That's it," he said at last.

We all puzzled over this riddle. What did it mean? Where did it come from?

I went over to it, to see if I could get the brush out of the way, just in case there was more written. As soon as my finger touched the stone, however, the world turned upside down. The scene changed, and strange colors rushed past me in a frenzy. Now, imagine if you will, falling in every direction, all at once. That's the best way I can think of to describe the sensation of going through this psychedelic tunnel of colors. Soon, the sensation faded, and I found myself in a room made of a peculiar stone. Torches adorned the walls, their flames a strange blue color. I turned around, looking for something. The room, it seemed, was completely round, and extended upwards for ages, disappearing into a dark grey mist. The floor on which I stood was wood, but I was currently standing on a rug. On the wall behind me, a plaque, with the exact same spidery writing on it, but I could actually read it this time…a little. All I could make of it though was "this room is round. Rug." That was about it.

Soon, I heard some kind of distant yelling. Considering we were in a small round room, that extended upwards a considerable ways, and there were no doors of any kind I could see, I looked up, expecting to see someone plummeting downwards. I was surprised when Ian popped into existence, however, standing where I was mere moments ago.

"Woah, what…am I tripping?" Ian asked nobody in particular.

I was about to say something, when Amanda popped in as well, falling straight onto Ian. Brent came next, landing on his head, followed by Katie, who was off to the side of the room, and finally Mido, who fell a good few feet before landing.

Initially, we began to freak out slightly, wondering where in the world we were. Then, we settled down, and started to consider what exactly we needed to do here. Mido eventually ambled over to the plaque. Out loud, he began reading.

_The trials of the chosen have begun_

_The heroes by their side._

_This room, to leave, is challenge one_

_Your time, you must bide._

We listened carefully this time. I was busy taking notes on a notepad I'd brought with me for occasions such as this.

"Well, what the h*** does that mean?" exclaimed Amanda.

Ian tried to quiet her down, when Brent spoke up.

"What if we waited long enough, would that let us exit this room?"

We looked at him with strange looks.

"Well, it does say 'this room, to leave, is challenge one. Your time, you must bide.' I'm thinking that means we need to wait, and then we'll be able to leave this room."

"Oh la la," muttered Amanda under her breath.

"Well then," said Katie, "then we'll wait."

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Yay, chapter done!

Man, this is turning out a lot differently than I had originally thought. I hadn't even planned this!

And, did anyone catch the reference in this chapter? If anyone catches it, I'll make the extra-long, 1k views chapter even longer, like 9k or something.

Ooh, man. I want to find out what happens next myself, even _I_ don't know!

And for those of you who don't "parler français", what Amanda said at the end basically means "aw man!".

I know, it's short, but I'm thinking of writing a second chapter tonight, if I have the time.

Now, it's time for Reviewerrrrrrrr's Coorrrneeeeerr-rrrrrrrr-rrrrrrrr-rrrrrrr-rrrr!

pokemonkatia168757: _Wow! So Katie and Jake are siblings it seems. I'm excited to hear more about the characters backstories. This story just keeps getting better and better! Amazing chapter, can't wait for next chapter! Thank you! :-)  
_Yes, yes they are. In the original plan, they were unsure of it for _so long_, but I like how this turned out better. I'll try to add in more backstories eventually, but for now, it's the main quest. And I'm glad you're enjoying it, because honestly, I have no idea what I'm doing half the time. I just let my brain come up with ideas, and my fingers put them to words. And, is that "Thank you! :-)" your trademark thing or something? You put it on pretty much all your comments. Regardless, you're welcome, as always. And thank YOU for helping to make this story so popular!

SunnySummer77: _While I'm not going to hate on over used characters...they are the most fun to use because the possibilities are ...well endless, besides, the overused ones are generally the ones people like the most...and quite frankly I'm not a fan of the 750 Pokemon just the original 150 as well as the region starters and riolu. Anything after Oshawott is...meh. Anyway, I can't say this is like that. This is great. Continue soon and I'm sorry bout the rant.  
_Well, all I said was to try to be unique. You can totally do that if you want to, it's really up to you, I was just giving a suggestion. And I agree, the overused characters are the most popular, and I see where your coming from. However, it's great that you're enjoying my story. And, I don't really mind the rant, I like hearing other people's viewpoints. After all, if the whole world shared one viewpoint, we'd get nothing accomplished. (And there's your food-for-thought for today.)

Also, if anyone's interested in getting the chapters from me, leave me a PM, and I'll get you a Dropbox link with all the chapters in it.

Anyway, that's about all I can think of to say. As always, have a lovely day, and I'll see you all next time!

- JacobDaGun


	22. Chapter 22 - Complex Construction

Man alive, am I _pumped_! I can hardly wait…this is the most excited I've ever been about writing a new chapter! I can't do it any longer, let's-a go!

Also, we hit a record number of views yesterday! 68 is a lot! Thank you guys!

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The Shroud of Darkness**

_Chapter 22 – Complex Construction_

We were all sitting on the rug, conversing every once in a while, just waiting, doing what we were pretty sure the plaque was telling us to do. I was silently ticking off the seconds, having nothing better to do. Around the 1000 mark, I grew bored of it, and checked out so I could go inside my head again. After zoning out properly, I found myself in the stone-littered foggy field of my memories. I meandered around, trying to see if I could remember anything else. Sadly, however, I found little in the way of memories to rediscover. Basically, all I found was the memory of some park somewhere, an especially delicious veggie-burger I'd eaten (that one was strange, as I was a very big fan of meats.), and a vague memory of some poem I'd read once. It was all somewhat discouraging.

My efforts spent there fruitless, I went inside the cave with the shocking tubes and the door of fire. Ignoring the shockers, I went to the door. Unsurprisingly, I was met with a shut door. Experimentally, I tried the door to see if it would open. It did not budge an inch. Was it locked? I saw no keyhole, but I did see some kind of weird glint on the door itself. I looked closer, and I saw a bit more. What was this? Suddenly, as if some giant, invisible pencil did it, lines began to appear around the glinting parts I'd seen. Slowly, the previously-invisible chains and locks began to appear. They were of an interesting make, and parts of them almost looked like paper. I touched part of it to see if it truly was, but it was as hard as the metal. Slightly confused, I walked away, deciding to explore more areas of this cave.

My adventures were cut short, however, when my body jolted awake. Flung back into reality, I sat a moment before regaining my senses. However, was it just me, or was the rug…folding up onto itself? Everyone else was in varying degrees of panic. I spied Amanda and Katie off to one side of rug, trying to burn a hole through it, and Mido using his sword (which I found was a somewhat modified version of an Energy Ball) to try to hack through the enclosing felt. Apparently, the fibers of the rug were both fireproof and extremely resilient. The rug stretched above us, completely enclosing us into itself. Then, as if being stuck inside a rug wasn't bad enough, it began to shrink down. We all clamored to try to get out, but to no avail. Once it had shrunk enough that we were rubbing elbows with one another, in a literal sense, it stopped shrinking.

Several tense seconds ensued, followed by the sensation of one's stomach flying down into his boots, as the rug hurtled upward at an alarming rate. We all screamed as we went flying who-knows-how-fast and who-knows-how-high into the air.

As suddenly as it had happened, however, it stopped, jarring us all against the roof of our containment. The rug expanded out to its former size, and opened up. We all sat dazed (or in Brent and Amanda's case, vomiting) as the rug returned to its former state. We were no longer in a tower; we were in a round room again, at the end of some kind of strange, wide corridor. This time, however, the torches along the wall were a purple color. Mido found another plaque behind us.

_The first trial, now complete_

_The second must begin._

_The danger comes at one's own feet_

_Find the room from which you have once been._

I crossed my arms, pondering this one over. Katie, however, had this one figured out.

"Mido, did it say that the danger came _from_ one's own feet, or _at_ one's own feet?"

Mido looked back over the plaque. "_The danger comes at one's own feet_" he replied.

"Okay, so that means that whatever danger comes next, it will come from the floor, or at ground-level."

We followed her advice, and proceeded with caution. You might say that we "stayed on our toes". Haha ha ha…

(Jake, that joke was lame, and you know it was.)

(Well, technically it was a pun, so…)

(*sigh*, I'm _this_ close to bashing you over the head right now.)

(Sorry, Amanda.)

(Hmph…)

Sorry about that.

So, we set off down the corridor, trying to avoid setting off any traps.

It was Ian who set off the first one.

He fluttered up just in time to miss the 2 blocks that suddenly sprang from the walls and slammed into each other. Had I been one foot closer, I would've lost a nose. Katie squealed in surprise as the blocks hit each other. Ian landed on top of them, and they soon receded back into the wall.

"Well," started Amanda, "that was exciting. Let's keep going!"

"No, don-" I yelled after her, but she stepped on the trap before I got any further.

"…don't step right there," I finished.

I heard a clanking noise further down the corridor. I peered into the gloom to try and see what was causing the ruckus. Then, they came into view, and I heard some gasps behind me.

They were machines. They were short, and circular. I saw no visible wheels, but they spun a wicked pair of spikes and blades around them. They came in several rows along the floor of the hallway. Oh, and they were also very fast.

Katie jumped up, into my arms, hoping I'd get her out of there. Mido used his claws to hang onto one of the walls, Ian hopped up, trying to stay aloft as long as he could, Brent looked around for some way out, and I ran towards them, hopping across the tops of the discs. Amanda started making a wind current to lift herself, when the wind current suddenly stopped. Her wind was gone.

That was perhaps the only time I saw her eyes widen. I hopped back across the tops of the machines, carefully of course, back over to Amanda to try and help her. She, in turn, was scampering backwards.

It was Brent, however, that ended up saving her life.

He began stomping the ground with a lot of force. The machines started bouncing and hopping as the ground below them shook. Some began to collide with one another, slashing themselves to ribbons. Some tipped over onto their backs. The rest simply broke due to the jarring. Just before the first row of bots reached Brent, they had stopped. A few were still running here and there, but they were either too broken to pose much of a threat, or easily avoided. I remember seeing one that had apparently lost one of its wheels, and could only go around in circles.

Brent saved the day with nothing more than a Bulldoze attack.

We pressed on, carefully avoiding the broken husks of the robots. Man, I was going to have to get Brent to teach me that one.

**:::::::::::::::**

At the end of the hallway, we found a room chock full of doors. I think I counted 20 or so. The torches on the walls here glowed red.

"'Find the room from where you have once been'," Katie muttered to herself.

Having a more head-on approach to this matter, I reached for a door. Before opening it, however, I saw a window on the door. Well, I guess you could call it a window; it wasn't glass, just wooden bars that ran over the opening. I peered inside and saw a beach. I took a second glance, not believing my eyes. But, it was still there, a beach with tropical trees, and an absolutely beautiful sunset. I reached for the handle, but was stopped by Ian.

"No, we've never been to a beach like that."

"Huh?"

"We need to find the place out of all of these that we've been to before."

I nodded in understanding. I turned away, giving the beach a wistful glance, before pressing on.

We each checked all the rooms separately, keeping in mind not to open any doors to places we had never been to before. Mine included some barren, icy mountain somewhere, a view of someone's basement with a couch that looked like it had been knifed many many times, a stage of some kind, and a classroom with several beakers and some strange minerals in test tubes.

We regrouped, telling the others of our findings. Nobody had seen anything that looked familiar, or had even sounded remotely familiar. We then proceeded to check all of them personally, looking for ones that looked familiar. I was to the last door, and peered inside. I gave it no real attention, as it didn't look too familiar, but I took a second glance, just in case I'd missed something. Plus, something about that brown, over-used carpet caught my attention. I looked over the scene for a second time, and my mind suddenly screamed out about this place. This was that room I saw in my memory, I used to live here!

Excitedly, I called everyone else over, "Hey, I found something, come on!"

Everyone came over, and a peculiar look came over everyone's faces. Everyone but Katie, who looked at it with longing in her eyes.

"…this isn't anything," said Amanda.

"No no no, this is where I used to live before I died," I explained.

We mulled over this for a bit before coming to the conclusion that we might as well try. After all, we had no other leads.

**:::::::::::::::**

Upon entering the room, I smelled the fresh scent of pumpkin spice. Mido and Ian were interested in looking at everything. Mido, it seemed, found the piano very interesting, and spent some time looking it over. My mischievous side showing slightly, I pushed a key, which startled the living daylights out of Mido. Seriously, he darted off so quickly, I didn't even realize he'd left. When I did find him, he was clinging to the wall.

"Don't worry," I said to him, chuckling a bit at his behaviour, "it's supposed to make sounds."

He looked at it like some curious 5-year-old trying to figure something out. Tentatively, he pushed in a key and sprang back quickly. A single note rang out. Approaching the piano once more, he began pushing keys. I smiled at his antics before I went over to the piano myself. I set aside my bone, and set my fingers upon the keys. With a little bit of difficulty – smaller hands and all – I began playing _Je Te Veux_. Mido stared at me, wide-eyed, as the piece I played fell from my fingers like raindrops onto the piano. (I like being poetic sometimes. Gives beautiful imagery if you let it.)

I was cut short, however, by Amanda, who pulled me off the bench. After that, Mido made it his life's mission to make and play a piano.

**:::::::::::::::**

We tried the door to the outside, but it was locked. The entrance to the kitchen area was open, but there was nothing through there, as the door to the basement was locked. We tried upstairs as well, but this time, our search was fruitful. We came to the top of the stairs, and found ourselves in another hallway. At the end of this, a small, round room statue of a Rydon was seen. The torches here glowed yellow, and a plaque was on the wall.

_Another challenge for you to meet_

_What will one do when faced with defeat?_

_The stakes are high, go on, brave soul_

_Save your friends, or die alone._

We all were shocked by how straight-forward this one was.

Amanda was leaning on the statue as Mido finished reading the riddle. She shifted her weight slightly, which caused the Rydon to fall backwards some. Surprised, she lifted her claws off the statue, and it returned to its neutral position. Just like that, the room began to spin. It also felt like we were rising as well, but I wasn't entirely sure.

When the room stopped spinning, we found the hallway we'd come through replaced by a spacious room, filled with pillars, low walls with spikes on top, and ridges cut into the walls. Unknowingly, we stepped right into a trap.

You remember those spike-bots from earlier, right? Well, they were back for round 2, and this time, they brought all their friends and family along for the ride. This time, however, there were new spikebots as well, ones that hung from walls, very tall ones, some that rolled on their spikes…they were everywhere.

Then, the wall behind us closed as the room with the statue began to spin once more, going downwards this time.

Brent began using Bulldoze again, which worked for a little bit. But, the bots were not so easily fooled the second time, it seemed. Without heed, I jumped in and helped Brent with his Bulldoze, which I apparently knew, without me knowing it.

Our combined efforts dispatched the smaller ones, but the big ones, most of the wall-riding ones, and nearly all of the rolling ones kept coming. Katie jumped in, throwing fire into the horde, but her fire soon died. Had she lost her abilities too? Same thing happened when Brent tried to wash them away.

We were powerless.

Of course, then Ian proved us all wrong by throwing an AncientPower into the mix, effectively knocking out some of the other bots. Mido even threw himself into the fray, slashing at the bots who came near. Following his lead, we all followed him in, guarding his back.

The battle was intense, and filled with us saving each other. I managed to save Mido's neck by jumping on him, and also smacking off the nearby bots. Katie saved Amanda with a cleverly used Aqua Jet. You know, stuff like that. The bots, however, kept coming in droves.

"I don't think we can stave them off much longer," I heaved.

Mido nodded in consent.

"We fight to the end if we must. I won't let this team fall apart!" cried Ian.

I watched as a group of rolling ones came up behind Katie. Time slowed down, and I saw her turn around, looking death right in the eye. In desperation, I tried to throw up a wall to protect her, but my powers had been locked. Then, an orange streak darted towards Katie, throwing her to me. I caught her, luckily, but I looked over just in time to see the bots roll right on top of Amanda. She cried out in agony, and collapsed onto the floor.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" came Katie's anguished yell.

Soon, she was obscured by a mass of bots coming in for the kill.

I ran towards the massive group of bots, crying, "I won't let this happen!"

Both me and Brent slammed into the ground in unison, creating a massive Earthquake. The bots were largely unaffected by this occurrence, but their attention strayed from Amanda and onto us, which we had hoped would happen. I slammed into the oncoming horde with a strength borne of desperation. Soon, a flash of light came from nowhere, blinding me temporarily. When my sight came to, a massive flame burst right past me, obliterating many of the bots. I looked for the source of the flame, and was surprised by my finding.

A Charmeleon stood there, her eyes ablaze with renewed strength. Her claws slashed through the air, cutting bots to pieces. Not wanting to be outdone, I began fighting off the bots near me. The air was alive with glowing stones, fire, water, balls of energy, and purplish flames as the number of bots dwindled.

The last bot tried to run, but a flamethrower got it before it could escape.

I turned towards Amanda, surprised by the change. She said nothing, but walked over to me, and pounded me on the head.

"Ow!" I cried, "what was that for?"

"Why were you just standing there? She could've been killed!"

I took a few steps back in shock.

"If she is your sister, why didn't you help her?"

What was with this sudden anger?

"I-" I started.

"You better go apologize to her, then," she said.

Uh…what? I looked up at her, a toothy grin on her face.

"…oh," was all I said.

**:::::::::::::::**

The wall where there used to be another room opened up again, to our surprise. Another plaque was inside, as well as a statue of a Gallade. This room was lit with lime-green torches.

_The final test, of that is sure_

_Go on, those chosen of fate._

_The labyrinth ahead is reserved for the pure,_

_A clever mind will see the trait._

Pulling the statue-switch, we rose to the next level. At the top, we were greeted with narrow hallways filled with cyan-colored torches.

"Great, I love mazes," remarked Amanda.

"Well, with the wording on that one," said Ian, "I wouldn't be surprised if this maze had a secret way of telling us where to go."

**:::::::::::::::**

For perhaps the 5th time, we re-entered the plaque room.

"What did we do wrong?" asked Brent.

"There might be a pattern we're missing here," suggested Katie.

While they debated, Mido and I walked a small ways into the labyrinth.

"I wonder why these torches are always different colors?" wondered Mido aloud.

I looked up at them as well. The torches lined the left-most wall, their unnatural color giving me a small sense of unease.

"This reminds me of a riddle I once knew," I said.

"Could I hear it?" asked Mido.

"Of course," I replied.

"A storm blows into Trebel Town at midnight, and extinguishes all the fires in the lanterns. A Munchlax, seeing them out, decides to get matches to relight the fires, since the fire-lighter is out of town. He can bring both a new match and a new candle at the same time, but it takes him 2 hours to bring a small candle, that only lasts 3 hours. After 12 hours, how many candles will still be lit in the lanterns?"

Mido's brow (or the equivalent thereof) furrowed, and he paused a moment. I could practically see the cogs turning in his mind. After a moment, he responded, "2?"

"Nope."

"I give up then, what is it?"

"It's 0, because you don't need the lanterns to be lit during the day."

His eyes widened as realization struck him. "Ooooooooooohhhhhhhhhh…."

"Now, if only this maze were as simple as that puzzle."

"Well, all that puzzle needed was a different approach to it."

Then, an idea struck me.

"I just thought of something."

"What?"

"It's just a hunch, but follow me!"

We went through the maze until we came to a crossroads.

"Do you remember which way we went last time?"

Mido pointed to the left.

"Okay, that way has it's torches differently than we do over here."

He gave me a confused look.

"Don't you see? We just follow the torches on the left side!" I grabbed him at this point. "Mido, my boy, you've done it!"

"Yaaay."

We rushed back to tell the others.

**:::::::::::::::**

Turns out, the walls actually changed based on where you were. The torches allowed us to stay on track. We made a great deal of progress through the maze, until we reached a small problem.

"What is this?" exclaimed Ian.

The torches on the end of the hall we were on were on the left side, but they switched to the right side in the middle.

We tried swapping the rule around, so we followed the right-side torches, but we ended up back home instead.

Frustrated, we got to that area again where the torches swapped places.

We stood around for goodness-knows-how-long, figuring out what in the bleep we were supposed to do. Then, Mido had an idea.

"Perhaps we need to think outside the box, or rather, outside the halls," he said.

He demonstrated by putting his arm on the wall where the torches swapped.

"Maybe there really is an intersection here, and we just can't see it."

He moved over slightly to the gap between torch-swaps. He thrust a hand to the wall, no _inside_ the wall. Needless to say, we all looked through the illusion wall, and saw that the torches continued down the hallway, on the left side.

"Mido, you're a genius!" Katie said

"I am?"

**:::::::::::::::**

We began checking walls for more illusions. We even began checking torches at certain points, just to be sure they weren't illusions. The maze proved quite the challenge, but we eventually made it out.

Exhausted and tired, we entered the final round room with a statue. There was no plaque this time, just a statue of a Skarmory. We pulled the statue-switch, and the room spun and rose once more.

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

I know, abrupt ending, but I just _had_ to split it up. I'll try and write the remaining chapter tonight, so I can post it tonight, but I'm not sure how that will end up.

Also, I realize it's a bit rushed at the end, but I just _really_ wanted to get out of that labyrinth. Plus, we spent enough time there, why not just continue on with the story?

I promise I'll do better next chapter.

Oh, and one more thing. I'm writing a companion story to this one soon. It's not really a story, more of just an external resource. There, I'll put bonus chapters, history on certain areas, and even some back stories to the events currently ongoing!

Anyway, time for some reviews!

Spacemarine64: _Awww Im missed a review. i didnt start reading until this one came out. i love where your going with this story. if you want a list of stories you should read some on my favorites list. i try to find the best :) but great as always. Jake should find some time to sharpen hi bone into a sword to make it more effective in battle. that'd be pretty cool. i think so at least. but the story is getting better and its one of the top three most reliably updated stories i am following thank you for your devotion to this story. i dont really have any ideas as of wht to say so SM64, Signing off  
_Thank you, sir. I'll definitely check out some of the ones on your favorites sometime. Also, I once jokingly thought of turning that bone into a sword myself as well. Who knew? Also, thank you so much for supporting this story, and you're welcome as well. :)

pokemonkatia168757: _Awesome chapter as always. Hmm, I guess I do say that a lot, don't I? Oh well! Who cares? Well, amazing chapter! Thank you! :-)  
_Thank you, as always. I can't really say much else here, besides 'thank you for your continued support'.

So, that about does it. As always, have a lovely day, and I'll see you all next time.

- JacobDaGun


	23. Chapter 23 - The Last of the Knights

I have a rough schedule planned out. Every day, I'll try and write a chapter for this story, and on weekends (Friday, Saturday, or Sunday) I'll write a new section of the Compendium, which I'm going to write immediately following this. Check my page for the Compendium; you'll find it, I'm sure.

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

**Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Shroud of Darkness**

_Chapter 23 – The Last of the Knights_

As soon as the room stopped spinning, we found ourselves facing a massive, grand hallway, with red carpets lining the floors, white torches blazing in their braziers, and pillars with various statues of brave-looking Pokémon on them. At the top of a small incline, there was a massive set of double-doors, with black iron engravings laced across the surface. Thoroughly impressed by the massive display of architecture at its finest, we stepped from the revolving room and into the hallway.

We approached the doors, and opened them cautiously, only to discover that it led outside. At the bottom of a long stairway at the base of this castle-like structure, there was a peaceful meadow, and a winding cobblestone road that looked as if it had seen better days with all the feet that had traversed its surface over the long years. The path lead down to a small beach, with vast expanses of water spreading as far as one could see. Somewhat surprised by this, we went back inside.

Turns out, the room we had come from was actually part of a small display area/memorial. The room, however, no longer held a Skarmory statue, but instead held a statue of a sword, lodged into a pedestal. On either side of the small memorial section, there were massive stairways that led up to an upper balcony, upon which sat an even more impressive door, with some sort of insignia engraved into the door. The insignia consisted of a shield, or coat-of-arms, with two banners crossed behind it, and a small tear-drop shape in the center of the shield. The entire insignia was made of a bright silver.

"Didn't that first plaque say something about a 'silver power'?" asked Ian.

Deciding that this was likely the way we were meant to go, we ascended the staircase slowly. Upon arriving at the door, we hesitated. Slowly, we opened the door.

The room inside was of interesting design, considering there was a balcony stretching across the upper part of the middle of the room. 2 stairways led to this strangely placed balcony, spiraling up to the out-of-place feature. Off the balcony hung 8 banners, each a different color, and each had a different coat-of-arms adorning the banner, as well as a different symbol above each coat-of-arms. Massive pillars stretched the distance between floor and ceiling, each holding a set of white torches that gave light to the room. The floor had another large carpet that touched all but the sides of the room, where the strange stones that made up this structure lay bare. The carpet also had the same insignia on its surface, and was a striking shade of cobalt. At the far end of the room sat a large, round table, with 8 chairs lining the outside, that same insignia adorning the surface of the table, and on the chairs as well. Past the table, a large fire billowed in the large fireplace, its flames the same white color that seemed to be present around the entire castle. The insignia, in a material form, hung on the mantle of the fireplace, and statues of those same 8 Pokémon stood at either side of the fireplace, a courageous look spread across each face.

Then, to my surprise, I discovered the room's only other occupant. It was a Froslass, standing towards the fire, his back turned to us. None of us spoke as we stared at the architecture displayed here.

Suddenly, a voice rang out. "This room truly is impressive, wouldn't you say?"

We all turned towards the Froslass, who still stared into the flames of the fire.

"No need to be shy, come here."

So it _was_ the Froslass who spoke then. We all walked over to the Froslass.

"I should congratulate you on completing the challenges. You truly are ready to begin," said the Froslass.

"To begin what?" asked Amanda impatiently.

"Who are you?" asked Brent in a timid voice.

The Froslass made some kind of rumble in his chest, I assume a chuckle, then responded, "All in good time, Autarch of Wind."

"What did you call me?" threatened Amanda.

Ignoring her, the Froslass continued, "I am Sir Bernd of the Silver Knights."

Ian started scratching his beak, obviously deep in thought.

"What are the Silver Knights?" asked Katie.

"Ah, I see you know not our lore. Allow me to enlighten you," spoke Sir Bernd.

**:::::::::::::::**

"First, we must travel back thousands of years, back to the first four autarchs that ever were. The divine beings saw conflict arising, and so made the first four autarchs. Several years after they autarchs arrived, the Darkness arose, its desire to consume all life to sate its ever-growing hunger. A long, bloody war ensued that slew thousands on us. Then, the autarchs, their souls full of light, came to slay the Darkness that arose. They defeated the Darkness, after valiant effort, and sealed him away into another dimension, banishing him.

"The autarchs, their task completed, laid their bodies to rest for the time when their souls would be needed once more, should the Darkness return. Before they departed, they entrusted a portion of their powers to eight of their companions. The companions' duty was to protect the land in their absence, if evil forces should arise once more. The companions became known as the Silver Knights. Under the Knight's protection, the world remained safe, and the Knights Blessing given by the autarchs passed on from generation to generation throughout the millennia.

"The spirits of the first Knights chose their champions through each successive generation. These champions would hold their own Knights Blessing until their time here draws to a close. And thus, the world entered an era of peace.

"Now, however, this era has ended. The Knights are gone, and I am the last of the Knights. It is my duty to entrust the chosen with the Knights Blessing. The time has come for the Knights to return."

"So, these guys," I said, motioning to the statues next to the fireplace, "were the last Knights?"

"They were my comrades, my companions in Knightship, but they have all passed on…" he replied, turning towards the fire. A sullen look entered his eyes.

"So," Amanda piped up, "what exactly do you mean by 'autarch'?"

"The autarchs were the four who possessed complete control over an element. Four of you carry the spirit of the autarchs," came his reply. "The Autarch of Fire," he said, pointing to Katie, "The Autarch of Water," pointing at Brent, "The Autarch of Earth," pointing to me, "and The Autarch of Wind," he ended, pointing at Amanda.

Ian stepped forward then, "So who are the new Silver Knights?"

"The next generation of Knights, you mean? I sense that both you and your companion were chosen from birth."

Mido looked up in surprise.

"I ask you, are you prepared for this responsibility?" asked Sir Bernd.

"I'm ready," responded Mido.

"Count me in," replied Ian.

"Then receive the Knights Blessing, chosen ones!" he said, raising his arms to the sky. A brilliant beam of light came down, illuminating the area. The light increased in intensity, and soon all I saw was white. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt my eyes.

When the light faded, Sir Bernd still had his arms raised, but now 2 small silver emblems had appeared, floating above his hands, spinning slightly. Mido and Ian held out their claws, and the shield-shaped emblems floated over to them, resting above their outstretched claws. They both looked at them in awe and wonder.

Bernd lowered his hands, and spoke, "You have accepted the Knights Blessing, and it has accepted you. Use this blessing wisely."

Mido reached up and grabbed his. The emblem was in the shape of a shield, and a symbol lay engraved upon the surface. Ian's had a different symbol on its surface.

"Whenever the need arises, simply call on the Knights Blessing," finished Sir Bernd.

**:::::::::::::::**

Bernd told us that to return to the meadow, we could simply go back the way we'd come. Taking his advice, we returned to the alcove. On the way, however, I stopped, seeing something interesting.

"Guys, come look at this!" I said, pointing at one of the statues.

Everyone came over to see what I had seen, and they all gasped in surprise.

The statue had changed.

It was no longer a noble-looking Garvedoir, a pointed rapier in his hand. Instead, it was a Grovyle, a long sword in his claws, holding it confidently and loosely, yet tight enough to not lose his grip.

"Wait, is that…is that me?" asked Mido in disbelief.

"Look, it happened over here, too!" exclaimed Katie.

The pedestal she was pointing to used to have a Sandslash, holding a Bardiche by the back of the blade. Now, it was an Archen, a Halberd grasped in both claws.

"Duuude, I look amazing like that!" remarked Ian.

I also spied a statue of a Froslass holding an axe in one hand, as if he could throw it whenever he wanted.

"Jake!" called out Katie. Everyone else was at the alcove.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming, Kate," I responded in a rushed tone.

We all crammed into the alcove, which was much smaller than the room that we used to be in, and pushed the sword forward, activating the mechanism. It spun us around by 180 degrees, revealing a small hallway. We all walked in a single-file line down the corridor, and stepped into the circular room at the end. The only defining thing about the room was the pedestal with a plaque on it.

The plaque stated that it would take one wherever they needed to go. Each one of us touching it, we blipped out of existence and was sent back through the tunnel of colors.

**:::::::::::::::**

When I arrived, I found myself at a shrine of some kind. I found that first plaque here, that said something about the Silver Power, and soon, everyone else had arrived. Apparently, the plaque had been ripped from its spot here, but it was back now, and we could read the final line.

_To whom ye seek the silver power_

_Must first pass this final test._

_The ones whom were chosen in this deciding hour_

_And the ones whose skills surpass the rest._

_Their strengths combined, they must make_

_Or else by none, the light to fade._

_The chosen must succeed, for the Dawn to break,_

_Or the world will forevermore be a living fa__ç__ade._

_O chosen, the time draws near_

_You must prevent the age of fear._

Now knowing what it said, we exited the shrine to go look for our friends.

**:::::::::::::::**

Upon exiting the shrine, we saw none of our friends. Confused, we began looking around for them. Soon, however, we heard a cry. We ran over to the source of the sound, surprised by what we saw.

Our friends were captured by a horde of Darklings.

{Author's Note: I'm half-tempted to end the chapter here. I won't however, as you guys deserve a little bit longer of a chapter due to yesterday's awful excuse for a chapter.}

In a sudden rush, we dashed over to the Darklings.

"Get over here!" I cried, pulling over a Darkling. I swung him by the tail, bashing him into a tree. He disappeared in the usual puff of black smoke.

It was then that Mido decided to try out his new toy. A brief flash of light ensued from him, drawing attention from everyone. I'll admit, I was a little jealous of what I saw.

Mido was covered head to toe in a suit of armor. The armor was a stunning silvery color, and had a sheath built into the back. There wasn't a cape or anything, there didn't need to be. (Plus, it'd get in the way)

"…That was unexpected," said Mido at last.

Then, the Darklings began to converge on him.

Reacting quickly, his arm shot behind him and pulled out a long sword. Skipping backwards (Mido tells me the armor is a lot lighter than it looks), he dodged a Darkling's claws, and Mido thrust forward his blade, catching the Darkling in the chest. The Darkling disappeared in a puff of black smoke.

I heard a Darkling running up behind me, but I remained silent and still. When he was right behind me, I stuck my bone into the ground, and used it as leverage to lift myself up, kicking the Darkling square in the jaw. I flipped over my bone, and landed on the other side. Pulling out the bone, I dashed forward into the fray.

Katie managed to sneak through the crowd, and reached the cage they were holding our friends in. She used some fire to melt the lock off, allowing everyone else to get free. Then, things _really_ heated up, no pun intended. With everyone else free, we quickly swept through the remaining Darklings. Unbeknownst to me, Ian was trying his Knights Blessing out as well. I only found out that he was using it because I saw him run past me, spinning his Halberd above his head.

Deciding to leave him be, I continued to wade through the Darklings.

**:::::::::::::::**

The field was clear of Darklings at last, I sat down, the adrenaline slowly leaving my system. I saw Mido walk over, his armor and blade gone, and flop down beside me. I looked up at him.

"I'm jealous now."

"Why?"

"You looked dang good in that."

"Why thank you, sir," he responded, performing a mock bow.

We chuckled a little bit, and then resumed our sit.

**:::::::::::::::**

The battle had drawn on long enough that it was getting late. Deciding to go ahead and camp out in a flat area outside the meadow, we set up for the night.

The camp was ablaze with conversation, sharing stories, explaining things, and whatnot. I retired early, getting to share a tent with Streke and Luke. In the morning, we would be starting our long trip back to Trebel Town. Little did we know about what was ahead…

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

The chapter, at this point, is concluded. I know, it seems really abrupt, but it felt like a good place to stop.

I'm planning on writing that compendium later this afternoon, so stay tuned for that. The Compendium itself won't contain much, besides…wait, I explained this last chapter. Anyway, I'll try and write it today, if at all possible. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for that.

And, we're close to hitting that 1,000 mark. Keep it up, guys!

Time for some reviews from you guys! :)

pokemonkatia168757: _Another awesome chapter! I'm a fan of these riddles. Very intriguing. Well, thank you. Can't wait for the next chapter.:-)  
_I'm just going to say this now, but that riddle with the lamps and the Munchlax, I took that out of a Professor Layton game. As I say about every week, thank you.

Spacemarine64: _Great great great i love action parts! whats funny i think the sword idea make way more sense than a pokemon with a club. Loved this chapter a lot and cant wait for more. i hope this story gets to a good size because fast ending books are eh ish. but i wouldnt care that much on this one. Cya next time!  
_I'm glad you liked it. And, to be honest, how in the world would a Pokémon get a sword? :) I hope it gets to a good size too, and I'm not going to lie, we're not even to the cool parts yet. And I'll 'cya' next time as well.

TheMezzerino: _They should get you to write the next PMD storyline, its that good.  
_Why sir, I'm flattered. I'm not sure if it's really _that_ good, but I appreciate the thought nonetheless.

Anyway, that about does it for this. Oh, and the Compendium will not have its own Reviewer's Corner, I'm going to merge it with this one here. I think it'll look better that way, personally. I might get another Compendium chapter out tomorrow if I have the time.

Well, as always, have a lovely day, and I'll see you all next time!

- JacobDaGun


	24. Chapter 24 - Following the Wake

Sorry for the big delay, I was at my sister's house over the past few days, since she was out of town and needed someone to help look after her kids (my nephews). Thus, I was there for hours on end, leaving me with little time to work on this.

(Post Note: This was actually supposed to come out yesterday, but then something _else_ came up...)

Oh, and I found someone who's willing to beta-read for me, one K'ger by name. Thank you, K'ger, for beta-reading for me.

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: The Shroud of Darkness**

_Chapter 24 – Following the Wake_

"I know you can do this!" cheered Mido.

I said nothing, as I was still heavily concentrating on manipulating the energy in my hand.

I suppose I should explain a little bit. Ever since that battle, we had been traveling back, and were nearing that town with the Lapras-Ferry service. In the meantime, Mido was trying to teach me how to do that energy-sword technique his father taught him. I'll admit, it was rough going, as I couldn't quite do it right.

I was trying my hardest to shape the energy in my hands into a sturdy shape, but the immense concentration needed made me feel nervous to no end. Eventually, I came up with a product that looked as if it could work. The red energy (Mido is green, for future reference) I held in my hands definitely looked like what Mido usually did, if not a bit different, and the fact that it was more transparent than his.

"That might work," Mido stated after carefully examining my handiwork, "but let's see if it actually does anything."

He pulled out a short stick from somewhere unbeknownst to me, and held it out. Carefully, as not to lose my focus, I swung the energy towards the stick. As the energy connected with the stick, it ballooned outwards in size very dramatically. A blinding flash lit up the area for a brief moment before dissipating.

The stick remained whole, and the energy in my hands had vanished altogether. I sighed in frustration.

"I think he'll get it eventually," Amanda said from somewhere behind us, a slightly annoyed tone in her voice, "but I'd prefer if he didn't blind me before he gets to that point."

Mido ignored her. "Like I've said before, you might not get this. Your inner fire might not be the kind that can do this kind of stuff."

"If I've learned anything from Oro, it's that enough determination can solve anything."

_And that everyone should be able to bench 500 pounds too_, my mind added.

"I just don't know if you can do this, exactly," Mido continued, "it almost feels like it's trying to grab something. That might be all it can do."

Testing his theory, I called my energy out again, this time in a simple, straight form. I tentatively pushed it towards the stick. As soon as the two touched, the stick was flung from Mido's grasp and flew into my hands. My energy coursed around the stick, completely enveloping it.

"I thought so." said Mido at last, examining the stick.

I released the energy on the stick, and it dropped to the ground. Mido retrieved it, but my mind had just hatched an idea I wanted to try. Picking up my bone, I called up my energy, which immediately wrapped itself around my bone.

Enthralled with my success, I began to layer more and more energy around the bone, reshaping it to my will. Soon, my bone was surging with energy.

"Jacob, you've done it!" Mido exclaimed. He picked up the stick once more, replacing it to wherever it came from.

As an experiment, I walked over to a nearby boulder and smacked it with my bone. The stone fragmented as if struck by a sledgehammer. Dismissing the energy, I struck another area of the rock. This time, the stone was largely unaffected.

Now, I had something to show off to Oro abo-no, wait. If I did that, he'd probably just fail me then and there, since he wanted me to get stronger, not my energy. I sighed silently to myself, and set up a sleeping bag in one of the tents so I could retire for the night. I'd be bunking with Luke and Streke tonight, it seemed.

Shutting out the noise of the crocodile's snores, I fell asleep.

**:::::::::::::::**

Skip forward some, and we were near the town. Thinking of the Laprases we rode over the first time, my pace quickened. They were such nice peo-er, Pokémon, and I couldn't wait to take another ride. We might have been saving the world, but that was no excuse to not have a little fun. Streke, Luke, and Serena seemed more excited than I was to get there, but everyone else seemed troubled. Suddenly, I felt…strange. I couldn't quite tell, but the atmosphere wasn't right. Suddenly, something caught my attention; a large, black pillar of smoke was rising high into the sky.

My heart sank like a stone into the pit of my stomach. My pace hastened, this time, for a completely different reason.

**:::::::::::::::**

I got to the town long before anyone else did. The town, or what used to be one, was in complete ruins. The grass was blackened with soot and ash, the roads were covered with debris, and the buildings were simply smoldering husks of their former selves. My heart cried out upon seeing the desolation before me. Slowly, I shuffled forward a few steps. That's when I heard everyone else come up behind me, soft footsteps meeting my ears. There never was a need to come here after all.

The town had been burnt to the ground.

We all set out, searching the town for something, a survivor, a standing building, a clue as to who did this…anything.

The further we progressed into town, the bleaker the entire place looked. The rubble of buildings, the dark atmosphere, it was all so sickening, and them there was the stomach-churning scent of charred wood and burnt flesh. I was with Ian, Streke, and Katie when we found something that made all of us jump back in surprise and disgust.

The body of some poor soul lay face-down in the street, their fur scored with countless scorch marks.

Backing away, we took a different route to find some clues, minds still scarred from the ugly sight behind us.

A short time later, we happened to find a message burned into the side of a building that still stood, through some miraculous event.

"This is what happens to all who stand in the way of darkness."

My eyes never saw that message, I was looking at a body at the base of the wall. I recognized it, even from a distance, and the sight made me sink to my knees.

"Those b*******," exclaimed Streke, "They'll not get away wit' this 'un! C'mon, lads, let's follow 'em!"

Just as he was dashing off, Katie grabbed his arm, holding him back.

"Ach, what's th' meanin' o' this?" he yelled.

Ian pointed towards me.

I looked at the Pokemon before me, tears welling up slightly in my eyes, I reached up and gently rubbed at the annoying sting. I picked up the charred remains of a leek that laid next to the body, looking at it with saddened eyes.

"Ach, th' lad's lost someone, 'asn't 'e?" asked Streke with a more somber tone in his voice.

Carter, the Farfetch'd who had been there in court with me a few weeks back, lay dead in the street.

I picked up the body of the duck carefully, and brought him to the shore of the lake. Getting out the shovel I'd packed with me – since you never know when you need it, right? – I began digging a hole in the soft, sandy soil near the shore.

**:::::::::::::::**

The sun was halfway on its descent when my work was finished. A crude tombstone, which read, "Carter Penon" in the best writing I could manage, stood at the end of the grave. I buried him with the remnants of his leek, and placed cattails on top of the mound, since the flowers here had long since been burned. I barely knew him, but I felt like it was the least I could do. My mood less chipper than it had been that afternoon, I sat alone on the shore, mulling over this recent loss. Brent eventually found me, and sat down beside me. He said nothing for a while.

"Feeling okay?" he asked me.

I ignored him, setting my jaw in a stubborn line, teeth grinding together.

"…at least he got a good burial, right?" he said, trying to cheer me up.

Again, I remained silent. You know the feeling, right? When you're upset and just don't want to be bothered? That was how I felt.

"…Well, he's in a better place now, right?"

Finally, I spoke.

"I'll kill him."

"What?" asked Brent, a look of confusion playing across his face.

"I'm going to kill whoever did this, no matter who it is, or how powerful they are, I'm going to kill them."

"That's a little much, don't'cha think?"

"It's not just about Carter, Brent, it's about everyone else who lived here. They had nothing, nothing to do with this war, and they were killed in innocent blood. Whoever ordered this, I'm going to kill them."

This time it was Brent who said nothing. Eventually, he simply got up and left. My eyes were no longer there, however. Now, I had a reason to get rid of Galbarix.

I had a reason to fight.

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Wow, what a chapter, huh? I'm going to try and balance out the details from here on out, and overall improving my writing. In the meantime, updates may be a little less frequent, simply because I'm focusing more on getting the chapter to feel right. Also, updates are going to be a bit slower as well, simply because of beta-reading, and may be slightly shorter. I apologize if it's not as frequent/long as you'd like it to be, but that's how it's going to be for a bit, while I get this stuff worked out.

And, if anyone wants me to go over anything specific in the Compendium, feel free to let me know. I have an idea for Section 2 and Section 3, but I want some input from you guys too.

Anyway, here are your reviews from last week. (Goodness me, was it really that long ago?)

SunnySummer77: _You get to 1000 views! Do it I say! :D  
_I'm definitely working on that goal! Thank you.

pokemonkatia168757: _Awesome chapter! Thank you  
_You're welcome. :)

Spacemarine64: _Amazing again. the pokemon would not find a sword they would invent something that does more damage than a club. but the knights idea is great. cant wait for anything else about this story. Cya  
_Thank you. Also, I could maybe see that happening. Thanks for your input, you guys are great.

Been reading a lot of that Silver Resistance story that I've heard so much about, and _holy shishkabobs,_ that guy knows how to write! Makes me feel a little inferior…

Anyway, as always, have a lovely day, and I'll see you all next time!

- JacobDaGun


	25. Unforeseen Hiatus

I severely apologize for not updating for...what, a month? Between computer issues, schoolwork, other family obligations, and a massive case of writer's block, this story will, unfortunately, be going on a hiatus.

I'd really prefer not to do this, but I just don't have time for this at the moment.

I hope you all understand. :/

- JacobDaGun


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